Caerphilly Athletic FC partners with Kyiv youth team to support children of war

A Caerphilly football team is building direct ties with young players in war-torn Kyiv to support children affected by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Caerphilly Athletic FC is forming a long-term partnership with Yednist Youth Sports Centre, based in the Obolon district of the Ukrainian capital.

More than a third of the 900-plus children the centre supports have been displaced or have lost parents to the war.

The project follows a pre-season friendly in July where Caerphilly Athletic’s over-35s hosted Tryzub FC, a team made up of Ukrainian refugees living in Wales.

While the Yednist centre offers youngsters a chance to play a wide range of sports, football is the most popular, with ten age groups ranging from young children to under-16s.

Before the war, the club competed in the Ukrainian Amateur Championship and the Kyiv City Championships.

Community organiser Yuliia Bond, who fled her home town of Marhanets in eastern Ukraine with her two children in 2022, said financial pressures mean families are struggling to afford football equipment and tournament fees.

“For football clubs in Ukraine now, it is not simply about sport or improving results,” she said. “It is about helping children keep some routine, friendship, stability and hope while everything around them is uncertain.

“It would not just provide football kits or equipment. It would show hundreds of children and families that they have not been forgotten, and that a club in Wales is standing beside them for the long term.”

The Kyiv club needs football kits, training wear, footballs, goal nets and training equipment.

Despite the conflict, participation at the sports centre has increased by 43% since the full-scale invasion.

The project also plans to eventually bring Ukrainian children over to Caerphilly County Borough.

Ms Bond added: “In the future, we would also love to create opportunities for Ukrainian children to visit Wales, train with local clubs, make friends and have a safe break from the reality of war.

“We want this to become the first of many partnerships between football clubs in Wales and Ukraine, creating lasting friendships while giving children affected by the war hope, opportunities and a sense that they have not been forgotten.”

Mike Attwell, from Caerphilly Athletic FC, said: “We’re committed to supporting the Ukrainian football community during an incredibly difficult time. We’ve already begun gathering kits, footballs, boots and other equipment to send to our partner club in Kyiv, and we’re exploring how to build a lasting partnership that provides real support to those affected by the war.

“Football has always had the power to bring people together, and we hope this relationship will grow into something meaningful that supports players, families and the wider community.”

Ms Bond discussed the new Kyiv connection, and wider ambitions to connect more clubs across south Wales and Ukraine, during a recent meeting with Welsh Labour leader Ken Skates.