Launched in 2021 by PSG for Communities through the Paris Saint-Germain Endowment Fund, the One Team programme brings together children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and neurotypical children within the same football team.
Developed alongside autism specialists, the programme is built on several key pillars that underpin its uniqueness and impact: an innovative concept based on inclusive participation in sport; a structured methodology; dedicated training for coaches and educators; and close collaboration with associations, specialised institutions and families. Recognised with the Gold Social Impact of Sport Label awarded by the Sport & Citizenship Think Tank, One Team has become a scalable and high-impact model for social inclusion.
As part of its commitment to sharing best practices, a PSG for Communities delegation travelled to Seattle from 21 to 25 June to train XXX local educators. The three-day programme combined theoretical learning, practical exercises and the transfer of educational tools developed by PSG for Communities and continuously refined through field experience.
To conclude the training programme, a One Team session was held on 24 June, bringing together children — half of whom were autistic and half neurotypical — for a football match and inclusive sporting activities led jointly by newly trained educators and PSG for Communities coaches.
To launch this new initiative and highlight the positive role sport can play in promoting health and well-being around the world, PSG for Communities and the Gates Foundation joined forces with the European Football Clubs (EFC) Foundation — representing more than 800 football clubs across 55 countries and territories — to host “Beyond the Game: Sport for a Healthier Future”, a roundtable discussion held at the Gates Foundation Discovery Center.
The discussions showcased how these organisations, together with key actors including STALICLA, Special Olympics, the United Nations and the Confederation of African Football (CAF), are building collaborations across philanthropy, global health and sport to advance the health and well-being of children worldwide. The discussions focused in particular on the contribution of sport to advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, supporting the fight against polio and malaria, and promoting the inclusion of children with disabilities.
With PSG for Communities, we support nearly 20,000 children and young people every season, helping them develop skills and access new opportunities through sport. This collaboration with the Gates Foundation represents another important step towards ensuring that every child has an equal opportunity to live a healthy life, and we will continue to leverage our platform in support of this ambition.
No child should have their future limited by a preventable disease such as polio. Paris Saint-Germain has demonstrated that football has a unique power to advance public health goals, and through this collaboration, we are determined to go even further.
Sport has always been a powerful driver of change. By harnessing its global reach in support of children's health and gender equality, we can help accelerate progress on the development goals that matter most.
This initiative builds on a collaboration that began more than four years ago between PSG for Communities and the Gates Foundation. Paris Saint-Germain was among the first football clubs in the world to support the End Polio campaign by mobilizing its entire ecosystem and engaging its international audiences.
With this week of activities in Seattle, the collaboration between the two organisations enters a new phase focused on knowledge-sharing, the development of concrete projects and the creation of bridges between sport and global health.
Driven by a shared conviction — that sport is a powerful tool to improve the health and well-being of children everywhere — this collaboration paves the way for new initiatives across North America.