What a joy watching kids love their football training.

30ish girls and 40ish boys aged 6-16 (at a guess). Children who normally live every day in the isolated Malakasa Refugee Camp about 45 minutes from Athens.

Thanks to Anne of CHEERing Greece, the coaches from camp, and the sponsorship of the Barca Foundation (Barcelona FC), once a week these kids climb aboard a bus to Athens and come to football training.

Practice is a pure joy to watch. Independence, growth, learning, pride, commitment, fun, friendships, laughter… for a couple of hours they get to just be kids playing football. And they really really love it!

Anne and Sana work with Farhana and the coaches from camp and together the kids get the Barca sponsored practice kit, which Anne supplements with football socks and donated kids football boots for all.

The session started with jogging and stretches to warm up, water break as it was a hot day, then some exercises, another water break, and they started playing.

Anne told me when the girls started they were shy to even play in front of the boys, but their confidence grows and grows. So, whilst they’re still playing separately, that might not always be the case. The coaches will take it at the children’s pace. No rush.

The football programme extends to activities in camp too and CHEERing teaches the children about nutrition, self care (like the importance of brushing your teeth), cooking and more. Farhana’s face was glowing as she told me about the joy the kids get from cooking and Anne added that they’d been able to support about 60 kids get badly needed dental treatment.

forRefugees has supported the CHEERing cooking classes and football programme – Football Fit – with grants making watching yesterday’s practice even more of a joy and a privilege.