New Partnership goes ‘Beyond the Ball’
International Fund For Ireland go ‘Beyond the Ball’ with Sporting Legend’s Foundation
An exciting new partnership between the International Fund for Ireland (IFI) and Rio Ferdinand Foundation (RFF), working across the southern border counties and Northern Ireland, will unite young people together through their love of the ‘beautiful game’.
In one of the IFI’s largest funding allocations in recent years, ‘Beyond the Ball’ will connect young people and promote cross-community reconciliation efforts through sport, building trust and confidence between communities at a grass roots level.
The partnership will be funded through the IFI’s Communities in Partnership Programme (CiPP), with young people from across Donegal, Leitrim, Louth, Sligo, Antrim, Tyrone, Fermanagh, and Derry/Londonderry getting involved.
This investment includes a successful one-year pilot between the IFI and RFF in 2022 which initially focused on building meaningful cross-border relationships between young people in Leitrim and Fermanagh and will now be extended out to eight counties over the next two years.
The partnership launched in August 2023, as part of a four-day trip to Manchester supported by the Rio Ferdinand Foundation. Twelve participants experienced the famous football heritage of the city as well as engaged with other young people involved in similar programmes in the Northwest of England.
“Sport undoubtedly has the power to bring people and communities together. It can transform people’s lives, broadening their horizons and providing opportunities to develop friendships that they would not otherwise have been able to do.
“Sport makes it possible to have friends in even the most difficult times, and particularly for young people who get the chance to develop friendships across social and economic divides.
“The Rio Ferdinand Foundation has developed an important footprint across the island of Ireland, engaging with young people through sport, music, and art. The work of the Foundation aligns closely with the values of the IFI, facilitating opportunities to put young people at the heart of their communities and their future prosperity.”
