Autumn 2007 was an exciting time for football fans in both England and Russia, as the two countries played not one but two qualification matches in the run-up to the finals of Euro 2008. This was followed by the Champions League Final at the Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow in May 2008 and will be followed by the Russia v Wales World Cup Qualifying game in September 2008. The British Council is marking these occasions with a multi-faceted project that we have called ‘Football Unites’.
The British Council and the RFU in the framework of “Football unites” project will held a series of activities timed to the football matches of Russian and Wales national teams, which will take place on 10 September 2008 in the 6th field of the Luzhniki Olympic complex.
Master class for orphaned children with disabilities will take place at 1130. It will be conducted by a former Russian national team player of “Saturn” Moscow Region Vadim Evseev.
Fans of Wales football team will participate in conducting a master class as well. As a part of this charity action, with the participation of the Wales team fans, RFU and the British Council, boarding schools will be donated the electronic equipment, football kits of Russia national team, football balls and other memorable gifts. Also, the children will visit Russia and Wales match.
A friendly match between Russia and Wales team fans will take place at 1300. Vadim Evseev FC “Saturn” team player will be the honourable guest of the match.
Date: 10 September 2008
Friendly game in Moscow between Manchester United and Spartak Moscow fan clubs and attended by former stars of both clubs in advance of the all-England Champions League Final in Moscow.
Date: 21 May 2008
Teachers of English participated in a series of meetings to examine the new British Council ‘Premier Skills’ DVD - a tool which highlights the experiences of non-UK national footballers playing in the English Premier League and their experiences of learning English and living in the UK as a motivating tool to encourage learners of English.
Date: February 2008
English football fans took part in the wreath-laying ceremony at Red Square.
Date: 17 October 2007
Friendly game in Moscow between Russian and English Football Fans clubs.
Date: 16 October 2007
Friendly game in London between Russian and English Football Fan clubs.
Date: 11 September 2007
The winner of the football quiz is Oksana Chesnokova from Kaliningrad. 140 participants will get football souveniers. Full list of winners (Excel).
On 28 May 2007 four young Russian footballers from the youth amateur tournament ‘Leather Football’ Moscow final were chosen to go to England later this year. We worked closely with the Moscow Committee of Sport to select the best players from the Moscow final at the ‘Krylya Sovetov’ stadium.
The four young footballers and a coach attended the first qualification match for the European Championship tie between the English and Russian national teams on 12 September 2007 at Wembley, London. The young footballers visited football museums and the London football academy.
"Football Unites" is about celebrating sport and celebrating the friendships created through sport. The project will have three main phases centred around the friendly matches in London and Moscow in Autumn 2007 and Spring 2008.
In the first phase of the project, four talented young footballers watched the England Russia game at Wembley Stadium in London this September. They were joined by the winner of an online Football Quiz to be hosted by British Council and Visit Britain. In addition, a friendly football match between Russian and English football fans took place in September 2007.
The second phase started in October, when members of the Official England Fan Club visited Moscow to watch the Russia v England Game at the ‘Luzhniki’ Stadium. The England fans laid a wreath at the Eternal flame (the memorial to those who died in the Second World War), visited specialist English schools and took part in a historic friendly match between the Official England and Russian fan clubs.
The third phase continues through into 2008 with a series of further events planned around the Champions League Final in Moscow (May 2008) and the World Cup qualifying match between Russia and Wales (September 2008).
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