UEFA and Disney have announced a four-year extension of UEFA Playmakers inspired by Disney to 2027.
The pan-European participation initiative, powered by Disney stories, has already introduced tens of thousands of girls aged five to eight to football across Europe.
Disney’s Academy Award-winning animated musical comedy Encanto is the latest film to join UEFA Playmakers after Disney Pixar’s The Incredibles 2, Disney’s Frozen 2 and Disney’s Moana.
The aim of UEFA Playmakers is to get more girls playing through movement, play and storytelling. It provides opportunities to girls as a safe, fun and engaging entry pathway into the game.
Inspired by academic research, UEFA Playmakers sessions are held in 47 European national associations in more than 3800 locations. More than 73,000 girls have taken part in the programme that has trained over 5200 UEFA Playmakers coaches.
To date almost 5000 girls have taken part in 150 centres across Northern Ireland, with 82% of them new to football.
Nadine Kessler, UEFA Managing Director of Women’s Football, said: “We are really excited to see UEFA Playmakers expand over the next four years and to continue our partnership with Disney.
“Combining physical activity with the magic of Disney has proved a winning combination to introduce girls to football, get parents involved and give every girl the opportunity to experience the joy of our beautiful game.
“I am excited to see professional football players emerge in the future who can trace their love for football back to their very first Playmakers session.”
And Nicole Morse, Vice President Brand and Franchise Marketing, Disney EMEA, is excited that the initiative is continuing.
She said: “UEFA Playmakers inspired by Disney has been such a brilliant collaboration that it was a no-brainer to continue the programme for another four years.
“It's been so satisfying seeing our strong female characters and stories, such as Moana and Frozen, being such a force for good, inspiring families and children to get more active and to kick-start a love of football.
“The feedback from girls, parents and coaches has been so positive and we look forward to engaging new audiences with our storytelling, starting with our new Encanto story going live in 47 national associations across Europe.”
