Shakhtar Social, the charitable foundation of Shakhtar Donetsk Football Club has launched ECOGAME, an international project funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ programme. ECOGAME combines sports training with environmental education for children aged 8 to 12 and is being delivered across three countries. Shakhtar Social is the project's coordinator and the lead organisation in Ukraine, with the first practical sessions due to begin in July 2026.
What is ECOGAME?
ECOGAME is an international initiative that brings together sport and environmental learning. It is the first project in which children's training in popular sports — football, volleyball and swimming — becomes a tool for building environmental awareness. Rather than relying on theory or lectures, the project teaches responsible care for the environment through active play, physical activity and teamwork, making the message practical and memorable for young participants.
Who is delivering ECOGAME?
The project is built on a strategic partnership across three countries. Shakhtar Social acts as coordinator and the lead organisation in Ukraine. Its European partners are the Institute for the Development of Sport and Education (IRSiE), a leading research institution in Warsaw, Poland, and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) in Greece. The Kolos regional sports organisation (TSO Kolos) in Vinnytsia is also taking part. The initiative is officially supported by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), acting under powers delegated by the European Commission.
How will the project work?
The first practical sessions on sports grounds, using the new European methodology, start in July 2026. Children will work through a series of training eco-modules, each reinforced with an environmental message and interactive elements that connect physical activity to everyday environmental choices.
How does ECOGAME fit Shakhtar Social's wider work?
ECOGAME builds on Shakhtar Social's growing role within Erasmus+, having become a full participant in the programme and a project coordinator over the past year. The foundation, established by FC Shakhtar in 2018, reaches tens of thousands of children and young people across Ukraine each year through grassroots football, education and equal-opportunity initiatives. Over the 2024/25 year, FC Shakhtar and Shakhtar Social directed more than UAH 32.5 million ($720,000) to humanitarian projects supporting soldiers, civilians affected by the war and social programmes.
SCM Shareholder and FC Shakhtar President Rinat Akhmetov said in the club’s annual report: "Both the club and all my businesses continue to direct resources to support the country, assist servicemen and their families, help rehabilitate wounded heroes, and provide everything necessary for civilians, especially children. We are doing and will continue to do everything to bring our shared Victory closer."
