ISF’s Football for All-Abilities Project
ISF Cambodia’s Football for All-Abilities Project provides equitable opportunity for Cambodia’s stigmatised community.
Throughout Cambodia, people with disabilities are often stigmatised and lack the same opportunities for education, training, sport, and employment as people without. As part of ISF Cambodia’s (ISF) mission to reduce poverty, our Football Programme founded the Football for All-Abilities Project. The project was designed to increase access to sport for youth with disabilities, develop soft skills, improve the health and well-being of athletes, and foster a community of awareness and inclusion that empowers disabled athletes to achieve their full potential.
Committed to our mission to provide equitable opportunities, ISF’s Football Team understands allocating the same resources for each athlete doesn’t inherently mean inclusivity or accessibility. As Cambodia’s first sports programme addressing the marginalisation of stigmatised communities, our team has paved the way by demonstrating and adapting training sessions and tournaments.
As a FIFA Foundation Community Programme-supported organisation, ISF’s Football Team hosted two All-Abilities Football Tournament at ISF Sports Ground at the end of last year. On one pitch, referees and coaches used Cambodian Sign Language (CSL) and Makaton to communicate with players. On another, coaches modified the field for blind and visually-impaired players by adding pitch-side boards to ensure safety. Using sound, coaches placed bells inside the football, tapping on the goalposts to help guide athletes.
By understanding and evaluating each situation, our team provides equitable opportunities for Cambodia’s stigmatised community. Mr. Samedy Yin, ISF Football Programme Manager asserts, “Their ability is stronger than their disability, so all-abilities people should have the right to join any activity in society.”
Working towards our vision of providing holistic support, our Football Team epitomises ISF’s mission to make a difference, one child at a time and build better and brighter futures.
