The Albanian Football Association hosted an important UEFA meeting in Tirana today on Environmental Sustainability and Social Responsibility (SES Community), attended by representatives from UEFA’s 55 member Associations.
At the start of the first day of the meeting, the President of the Association, Armand Duka, delivered a welcome address, emphasizing that everyone is committed to creating a better and more sustainable future for European football and our communities. President Duka expressed that all Associations play an important role in ensuring football leaves a positive impact on everyone’s lives, from reducing environmental pollution to promoting social equality, not only in football stadiums but also in the lives of many people and communities across Europe.
“On behalf of UEFA and the Albanian Football Association, i am pleased to welcome representatives from all 55 UEFA member Associations to this special gathering of social and environmental sustainability leaders. I am honored to stand before you today as we come together with a commitment to create a better and more sustainable future for European football and our communities. In recent years, we have witnessed challenges but also opportunities that highlight the importance of social and environmental sustainability, both on and off the field. We all play an important role in ensuring football leaves a positive impact on everyone’s lives, from reducing environmental pollution to promoting social equality, and this not only within football stadiums but also in the lives of many people and communities across Europe. We are all in service of our beautiful game, football, and with that, we bear many responsibilities,” stated the head of Albanian football, mentioning EURO 2024 as an excellent example of sustainability.
“Today’s meeting is of great importance, as it allows us to engage in discussions and discover best practices that will drive future changes and improvements. EURO 2024 was an excellent example and a great success when it comes to sustainability. I would like to take this opportunity to especially thank my friend and our colleague Michele, Director of Social and Environmental Sustainability, and his team, firstly for their wonderful work over the years, and secondly for organizing this seminar in Tirana, which we are extremely pleased to host here in Albania. Thank you once again for coming and for your commitment to the beautiful game of football, and enjoy your stay in Tirana,” President Duka declared in his speech.
Following this, UEFA’s Director of Social and Environmental Sustainability, Michele Uva, took the floor, first thanking the Football Association and President Duka for their hospitality and praising the presentation of the sustainability and social responsibility strategy in April, which served as the catalyst for holding the SES Community meeting in Tirana.
“Let me begin by thanking the Albanian Football Association for hosting us here today and for the support they gave us for this event. The idea of coming to Albania was inspired by the fantastic presentation of the sustainability and social responsibility strategy in April, on a football field, where the scent of the grass gave me a message: environmental sustainability starts in the center of the field, where the ball lies, and then moves to the teams, match officials, fans, media, etc. As UEFA, we want to convey the message that the sustainability strategy is not just based in Switzerland but is everywhere. As UEFA, we need to help everyone, but we must first create an action plan. We have increased our funding from 20% to 75% of our budget, more than €8.5 million for you, to fund your projects, while the rest has been used to create toolkits, guidance, training, and support. I would like to thank UEFA Vice President, Armand Duka, for his support in this organization,” he said.
During the meeting, various points were discussed regarding the strategies that UEFA and Associations have for environmental issues and social responsibility.
The UEFA Social and Environmental Sustainability Meeting will continue tomorrow with the second day of discussions and conclude on Wednesday, October 30.
