SPORTS

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Since its inception, sports have been a central part of Spark15’s integration work

Sport has truly become an essential part our mission to support refugees and people with protection status. We believe that sport is more than physical activity — it is a powerful tool that brings people together, builds confidence, and creates a sense of community and belonging.

As part of our social inclusion strategy, Spark 15 organizes and promotes a wide range of sporting activities. These include weekly football training sessions, the organization of football tournaments, and collaboration with other partners to host events that encourage teamwork and friendship. Beyond football, we also support and run other sports initiatives such as roller skating workshops, a running club, and sailing classes in cooperation with local organizations.

Through sport, Spark 15 helps people connect, grow stronger — both physically and mentally — and feel part of one diverse and united community.

Football activities

We have taken part in several sports activities over the years but Football has been the most popular of all for the refugee youth. This is no surprise as football is the most popular sport in the world.

Spark15’s football team (Spark FC) was founded in 2021. Since then we had over 60 players, all of them young refugees. Some of them even went on to play for the second division in Malta. Spark FC has also taken part in the ‘Include Me and I Will Understand’ project that is implemented by the Malta Football Association (MFA). The project promotes the inclusion of refugees and migrants through football and football-related activities.

Spark15 also organises football tournaments each year. Young refugees get the opportunity to train together, play with other teams in Malta and socialise with people from different backgrounds.

Our Challenges

In implementing our Football program, we often face financial difficulties, as funding for Spark 15 remains limited. Our goal is to expand the program in several ways for the benefit of the refugee community, so we require support to make it even more effective and accessible.

Our interests and needs are listed below:
1. Providing participants with football boots. This is often a challenge, as people with limited incomes prefer not to spend money on clothing for their hobby.
2. Providing transportation from open centers to the field.
3. Providing a coach for player training.
4. In accordance with point 3, we also hope to identify potential players to join the Spark team.
This team will then play in local leagues, which will not only allow our players to become more deeply integrated into Maltese football and other local clubs but also give them the opportunity to prove themselves and register with local clubs.

If you would like to support our sports projects, please contact us – any help is important and valuable!