United by Sport

On April 18th, amputee athletes and veterans joined our international amputee football tournament to support building facilities for amputee teams in Ukraine.

A powerful symbol of resilience, unity, and hope will take the field as amputee athletes and veterans from Ukraine and the United Kingdom come together for a groundbreaking international football tournament. This event, taking place on Friday 18 April at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, is a rallying cry for recovery and renewal in communities impacted by war.

The tournament, co-hosted by Buffalo-based Worldchanging Institute and London-based Tackling Matters, will feature inspirational athletes—many of them military veterans—demonstrating extraordinary skill, determination, and the unifying power of sport. As conflict has scarred landscapes, these players are helping rebuild lives, showing that strength is not only measured by what you overcome, but by how you lift others.

Following the tournament, the pitch and goals will be dismantled and shipped to Ukraine, where it will be reassembled to provide communities afflicted by war with a space for recreation and respite. Donated match balls and football kits will also be sent to existing and new fields developed by the partner organization.

Additionally all proceeds raised through the tournament will directly support the construction and rehabilitation of football fields in conflict-affected areas, giving youth and families in devastated communities safe spaces to play, connect, and heal.

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Six concept designs have been developed in our “Architecture in Crisis” studio, currently running from the University of Buffalo, with input from amputee players in the UK, USA and Ukraine. Since 2022 our coalition have volunteered to deliver over a dozen sports fields in Ukraine and currently we have another dozen on route.

Photos above are from the 2024 Amputee Football Tournament. Designs for Amputee Football Facilities and Rehabilitation Clinics in Ukraine.

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