OUR MISSION
ESF Paris is a soccer club association striving for refugees’ empowerment in the communities. Co-founded in 2017 by Chloé Cassabois and Cian Fallon, our project stemmed from an idea : that of opening opportunities and access to this sport for all soccer lovers.
We organize 3 trainings a week (on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 6pm) and participate in the FSGT championship on Saturday afternoons. We also organize friendly matches all along the year.
Our trainings and matches take place in the 18th and 20th districts of Paris, as well as in Bobigny.
Our soccer club is home to players from all ages, even underage people, in order to build a community and allow everyone to enjoy the games.
Most players learn about our association through social organizations such as the BAAM (an organization helping refugees and undocumented migrants with their arrival in France), Médecins du Monde, CADA (shelters for refugees and undocumented migrants) and mostly through word of mouth.
OUR ACTION
ESF Paris strives to support refugees in their sports practice. This is done through obtaining licenses that allows them to play in championships if they wish, as well as providing the necessary sports fields for trainings and matches. We also supply players with quality sports shoes, soccer balls, shirts… that they can use on a daily basis.
OUR PURPOSE
Our project is grounded on common values of collective sports practice, solidarity, mutual help and education. More globally, ESF Paris vibrates with progressist ideas and bold initiatives surrounding refugee integration and wellbeing in communities.
We believe that encouraging soccer practice and framing a qualitative and safe space where players can entertain themselves is a first step towards achieving that.
OUR STORY
We are aware that the world we live in is facing serious ecological, social and political issues. But we are more than ready to direct all of our efforts in improving the situation as much as we can. Inspired by the humble beginnings of the soccer sport, ESF Paris is born from a desire to support communities in a concrete way.
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Founded in 2017, our soccer club is nested on a solid base of friendship, solidarity and collective effort. The words “immigrants” and “refugees” have all too often been used by media to dehumanize political contexts of tragic social crises. We believe that soccer can rebuild the collective notion of refugees by shining a positive light on what they can actually do.
ESF Paris strives to fade out discriminations towards refugees and instead, embrace cultural differences.
We think that reaching a sense of wellbeing and community on soccer fields can pave the way for stronger communities outside the soccer space.
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Chloé Cassabois, Président of ESF Paris