ForKBH Association: F.C. Copenhagen launch new initiative promoting football's social and health values

F.C. Copenhagen are delighted to announce the establishment of the ForKBH Association (Foreningen ForKBH) – a new, independent initiative aimed at strengthening the club's efforts to engage more children and youngsters in football's social communities.

The ForKBH Association is a non-profit entity that will also focus on strengthening diversity in football across cultures and backgrounds.

“We are so lucky to belong to the best city in the world, and therefore we're expected to take on a great responsibility for the city that created us,” says F.C. Copenhagen's CEO, Jacob Lauesen.

“We want to be an active player in the ongoing development of the Danish capital, and therefore we are now significantly strengthening our social efforts. We are the City's Team and have a very strong platform that can be used to make a real difference, especially for children and young people.”

For many years, F.C. Copenhagen has focused on social initiatives and local partnerships to contribute positively to the development of the capital. These efforts include aiding Denmark's largest distribution of surplus food, working in partnership with the Red Cross, and striking cooperation agreements with Hus Forbi, FCK Børnefodbold and 70 cooperative clubs in Copenhagen and the surrounding area.

The ForKBH Association will gather these initiatives into one unified organisation with the ambition of making a long-term difference in society. The association's focus on promoting good health and social interaction will take place in close collaboration with non-profit foundations that support the work with grants and financing.

Positive changes for children and young people
With the establishment of the association, F.C. Copenhagen aim to elevate the club's social initiatives to an international standard, while at the same time establish a solid, long-term foundation to create positive changes for children and young people across the capital and throughout the country.

Unity through football is proven to strengthen well-being and reduce loneliness, and therefore the ForKBH Association focuses on engaging children and young people who aren't immediately involved in traditional leisure communities and attracting more girls to the world of football.

This will be done through the development of projects and partnerships with schools, municipalities, NGOs, businesses and local associations with a focus on well-being, health and social inclusion.

“The use of football provides a strong and unique unity. With the association’s activities, we want to give more children and young people access to that special cohesion,” says the association’s secretary, Jesper Rønn-Simonsen.

“Football should be for everyone, and our first project will emphasise this when we send a very special team of players to the USA soon."

Genuine Cup: Inclusion of athletes with disabilities
Indeed, the ForKBH Association's first initiative is supported by the Spanish-American foundation, the Torras Foundation, which is behind the Genuine Cup – one of the world's largest international inclusion tournaments for young people with neurodevelopmental disabilities, such as autism.

The prestigious tournament aims to use the social cohesion of football to promote inclusion, and ForKBH Association and F.C. Copenhagen have received an exclusive invitation to the tournament with everything paid for.

The association is therefore sending Denmark's first team to the Genuine Cup in Houston in July, together with teams from 50 other major clubs such as Manchester United, Inter Miami CF, FC Barcelona, ​​Paris Saint-Germain, FC Seoul, Boca Juniors, Ajax and AS Roma.

The ForKBH Association has several initiatives underway, and upcoming activities will be launched in the coming months.