Touch the Goal project closes in Skopje — inclusive football handbook launched
Final conference at Holiday Inn Skopje presented the inclusive football handbook, project results and a documentary; 130 pupils and 18 teachers were involved.
On 11 November 2026 the closing conference for the project "Touch the Goal – Football for Every Child" was held at the Holiday Inn hotel in Skopje. The year‑long initiative was implemented by OURC "Idnina" with financial support from the UEFA Foundation for Children, and the event summed up its activities, lessons and outcomes.
The project aimed to increase participation of children with atypical development in football and other sports by promoting inclusive practices and strengthening the capacities of teachers and specialists. The conference opened with welcoming remarks from Loreta Andreevska, director of OURC "Idnina", and Irena Bakrevska Miloshevska of the Football Federation of Macedonia (FFM), who underlined the need to build sporting environments where every child can take part, progress and feel accepted.
Handbook and training as lasting results
A central result presented at the conference was the new manual "Practical Guide to Creating Inclusive Sporting Environments through Football", introduced by Katarina Velichkovska and Irena Novaceska‑Makaloska. The handbook is published in Macedonian, Albanian and English and is designed as a practical resource for physical education teachers, coaches, football schools and clubs.
The manual offers concrete methods and tools to adapt training sessions and sporting activities so that children with atypical development can join more easily and participate on an equal basis. It also contains exercises to develop football technique, communication and teamwork within groups that include children with diverse needs.
Attendees watched the documentary film "Touch the Goal", which shares stories and experiences from the project, and then took part in a panel discussion where field examples, peer‑support experiences and best practices for inclusion through football were exchanged.
Ten primary schools took part in the project, led by OURC "Idnina" – Skopje, with participating schools from Skopje, Petrovec, Kumanovo, Kriva Palanka and Kratovo. The project reached 130 pupils, and 18 physical education and health teachers completed training in inclusive methodologies so that the acquired knowledge can continue to be applied after the project ends. The conference concluded with certificates of appreciation for the schools, supporters and partners who contributed to the project.
"The 'Touch the Goal – Football for Every Child' project is ending, but its benefits will continue to live on through the use of the handbook created over the past year. It is intended for all football schools and coaches who work with children. By applying and adapting the activities and tools it contains, coaches will be able to support children with atypical development and enable them to more easily fit in and participate equally in training and matches. We call on all clubs, schools and coaches to use the handbook and to create environments in which every child will have the opportunity to play, to progress and to feel part of the team," said Irena Bakrevska Miloshevska of the FFM.
"We knew that the project's success depended above all on the people who work with the children every day. That's why our first focus was the training of teachers and professional associates. We did not want to only organize sporting activities, but to leave knowledge, concrete tools and capacities that will continue to be used after the project ends. The handbook is one of the most valuable results in that regard. We believe that its application will open doors for even more children to become part of football and sport," said Loreta Andreevska, director of OURC "Idnina".
Photo: press material from the event
