The Beach Soccer Foundation held another clinic in Belgrade on Saturday for local children.
A project to teach local Serbian youngsters the basics of beach soccer was held in Belgrade on Saturday as part of the Euro Beach Soccer Cup.
Organised by Beach Soccer Worldwide and The Beach Soccer Foundation, the clinic saw star players from Russia, Serbia, Spain and Switzerland attend and offer their expertise to children from the KMF Mungosi futsal club based in Belgrade.
A major part of the club is a project spearheaded by Serbian futsal coach Aca Kovacecic and sees children with developmental difficulties or disabilities get the chance to play sport, improve motor skills and build confidence with a big emphasis also placed on educational requirements.
The programme has been running since 2009 and includes around 50 members of differing ages who suffer from cerebral palsy, autism, down’s syndrome or visual, hearing or intellectual disabilities.
In total, fourteen children headed onto the sand this weekend prior to the second day of competition in the Serbian capital and were taught tricks and tips from some of Europe’s premier beach soccer stars as well as they enjoyed a memorable morning playing the sport.
Bojana Milicevic, the group’s coordinator said: “We are so happy to have been able to take part in this activity.
“Everybody has had a great time, they loved playing beach soccer and we have shown that there are no limits to what can be achieved. We are very thankful to everyone involved in making this a reality.”
BSWW Executive Vice-president Joan Cusco took the time to welcome all in attendance to “the family of beach soccer”, adding: “It was great to see the kids with smiles on their faces and enjoying beach soccer. It’s truly what the sport is all about.
“We really hope to see them all here with us next year.”
The Beach Soccer Foundation forms a key part of BSWW’s contribution to the sport and aims to make a key difference via environmental protection, such as awareness and recycling, as well as youth development and skin cancer awareness.