A group of young footballers in coloured training bibs stand and sit together on a grass pitch, talking and laughing in the afternoon sun, with trees behind them.

About

Who we are

FOOTBALL4iMPACT is a Swiss association that uses football to open doors for young people of every background and culture. Through the game, we create real opportunities in education, inclusion and leadership, and build connections that last.

A group of smiling young people and adults wave and pose behind glass display cases, with two trophies on top and a large scoreboard-style sign held at the front.

A large group of young people pose together outside a rust-coloured building with a sign on its wall, on an overcast day.

Our story

FOOTBALL4iMPACT began with a conversation about the game's less visible side.

The beginning
Paul Canoville came to the International School of Geneva alongside Paula Powell, where he spoke to students about football as well as his own experience with mental health in the sport. Paula, with strong links across UK football, met Sarah Lalaz, a learning coordinator at La Châtaigneraie, who had international students eager to build something real.
The first step
That meeting became the first step of FOOTBALL4iMPACT. José Murphy and two classmates then took up the idea and founded its initial pillars.
Today
Today, FOOTBALL4iMPACT provides youth development through football and runs culturally enriching trips for international school students. Students travel to meet, learn from and play alongside young people in communities with fewer opportunities, bringing new perspectives to both groups.

A large group of smiling young people and adults, some waving, pose together on an artificial pitch in front of a sponsors banner

Our mission

Develop life skills and experience through football and related activities
Create pathways into education and the professional world of football
Build long-term community partnerships
Deliver measurable social impact

A young man in a red bib watches a football in the air above him as a smiling teammate in a light-blue bib runs beside him on a pitch

Rooted in community

Every programme is shaped with the people and organisations of the community it works in: local partners, schools, coaches and young people. We learn from them as much as we offer.

Young players, several in red football kit, walk across a sunny grass pitch with palm trees and a blue sky behind them.

Our founders and leaders

José Murphy

Co-founder and CEO

A former Ecolint student who helped build FOOTBALL4iMPACT from a classroom idea into international programmes. José leads partnerships and keeps the project moving, while finishing his final year of the BBA at IE University.

Sarah Lalaz

Co-founder and President

Learning coordinator at La Châtaigneraie and the person who turned a conversation into a programme. As an educator, Sarah looks after our school connections, and brings an educator's eye to every trip, making sure students come home with more than a journey to remember.

Meet the team

Bring FOOTBALL4iMPACT to your school.

Tell us about your school and your students, and we will come back to you with how a trip could work.

Enquire about a trip