International Fund for Ireland go ‘Beyond the Ball’ with Sporting Legend’s Foundation
IFI announces major investment of €628,850 / £541,713 with Rio Ferdinand 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 Beyond the Ball partnership officially launched this week 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.
As part of the visit, officers from the An Garda Síochána and PSNI, who will play a central role in this project joined the young people and participated in a range of activities and workshops with their peers, built around the themes of friendship, understanding and leadership.
“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.”
The project will contribute to peace building and promote good relations on a cross-border basis by looking beyond contentious issues, instead, working collaboratively, including training for young people, and encouraging them to participate in a process which will work directly with and alongside, An Garda Síochána and PSNI.
Developing strong and sustainable relationships at a local level will include opportunities for young people to engage and participate in shaping community policing policy. Community trust and confidence in the An Garda Síochána and PSNI has been challenging for border communities, but it is believed that this close collaboration will facilitate important trust and confidence with and between communities and local policing.
Young people will also have a formal voice on areas relating to their local communities and cross- border relations, participating in a youth advisory board which will include mentoring support directly from their peers – Rio Ferdinand Youth Ambassadors.
“The Beyond the Ball project is a special cross border initiative and is not only important in terms of relationship building between north and south, but also in terms of the east-west relationship between our two islands and our peoples which has endured for so long.”
The key element of this partnership, which stands out from many others is this focus on relationship building and learning on an East West basis, aimed at exploring shared identities through the medium of football in Manchester and London. This will include providing a platform for girls and young women who have been through RFF projects in England to link with young women from the Southern Border Counties and Northern Ireland, building relationships on a north-south and east-west basis.
“We are proud that the International Fund for Ireland has seen to invest in our programme at this level, this partnership that will drive transformational change and represents a significant step for the Rio Ferdinand Foundation and the reach and scope of our work on the island of Ireland.
“To be delivered across counties North and South of the border, this programme uses the global language of football to unite communities and empower young people to drive social change.
“We look forward to working with the IFI, Glentoran Social Partnership, and partners across Northern Ireland and Ireland to deliver a successful programme and one which provides a blueprint of best practice for years to come.”
The four-day visit to Manchester provided young people from Greater Manchester, Leitrim, and Enniskillen the opportunity to explore themes of fair and equal communities, stereotyping and diversity through interactive workshops and activities, allowing them to engage, learn and gain new perspectives.
“I am delighted the UK Government supports the International Fund for Ireland and am pleased to share my congratulations with the Fund on this exciting new partnership with the Rio Ferdinand Foundation.
“Projects like ‘Beyond the Ball’ offer fantastic opportunities to engage young people in reconciliation efforts, promoting integration between Northern Ireland, Ireland and within communities across these islands.”
The Rio Ferdinand Foundation, set up by former Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand has worked across the island of Ireland since 2016 providing mentoring and employment pathways to help young people in economically deprived communities. Key projects include the girls’ soccer team in Mayo and the Youth In Action Programme in Omagh and Enniskillen.
As the lead partner the Glentoran Social Partnership will support the delivery of this project over the next two years, with support from a range of other partners. It has worked with the Rio Ferdinand Foundation since 2020 delivering anti-racism football programmes and hosted teams from Garda Diversion projects in Donegal and Dublin.