F.C. Copenhagen helping unemployed locals into jobs and education

In recent years F.C. Copenhagen has become increasingly active in initiatives that benefit the most vulnerable people in Danish society – and the club recently welcomed Denmark’s Minister of Employment Ane Halsboe-Jørgensen to Parken, to discuss The Starting Block project.

The Starting Block – “Startblokken” in Danish – is an initiative run under the Danish Sports Federation that finds new pathways to employment and education for young people in vulnerable situations.

F.C. Copenhagen is one of several football clubs across Denmark actively supporting the initiative. The club currently has 12 participants in The Starting Block, who spoke to the minister about their experiences so far.

“I find it incredibly inspiring to be here at Parken and to speak with young people who have had all sorts of difficulties in their lives, but who fundamentally want to feel capable, contribute, and be part of a community,” said the minister.

“They get to experience that here, maybe for the first time in a long time, because we haven't been able to give them that feeling through the education system or the labour market. Here, they have a new beginning and that’s incredibly inspiring.”

We at FCK understand how football can play a unique role in inspiring young people. As a club, we can make a big impact on many people’s lives – not least because of our large fanbase!

Having supporters across Copenhagen and the world naturally contributes to the positive impact we provide in society, although it’s not a requirement to work for us!
The participants in our Startblokken initiative meet twice a week and F.C. Copenhagen has hired Christian Traoré as a coordinator for the project, under the title of Bridge Builder.

Christian played for F.C. Copenhagen in the 2000s and is delighted with how well The Starting Block project is going.

“F.C. Copenhagen and Parken have a lot of resources, both in sports and administration, where we can offer something to the city. I think it's great that we’ve chosen to do these types of initiatives, including this project,” says Christian.

“So far I think it’s gone quite well, but it’s still early days. Right now, we have 12 young people, and more will likely join us as we find the right level that makes sense primarily for them, but also for us."

Veteran Match
The Starting Block is just one of several initiatives where F.C. Copenhagen tries to help the unemployed get back to their feet.

Monday’s home game against AaB was part of the Veteran Match, which aims to help war veterans transition back into civilian life. It isn’t about a football match involving veterans, but rather the club helping to ‘match’ unemployed veterans with companies looking for workers.

This is the fourth year in a row that FCK has participated in the initiative, which is rooted in the Danish Sports Federation’s ‘Soldier Project’.

In addition to raising funds by auctioning off players’ match shirts, F.C. Copenhagen also uses its organisation and extensive sponsor network to create opportunities for veterans seeking jobs. With the club's large social media reach, we also help spread the message and raise awareness across society.

Ukrainian refugees
Another initiative that FCK undertook was a project in 2022 aimed at helping Ukrainian refugees find jobs. F.C. Copenhagen ran this in collaboration with Copenhagen Municipality’s Business House, which led to several participants being hired at Parken.

The club’s former defender David Khocholava also offered his assistance to help the refugees, as he is married to a Ukrainian and played for Shakhtar Donetsk before joining FCK.

Being More for Copenhagen
The Starting Block isn’t the first and won’t be the last initiative FCK gets involved in.

Discussing the background behind these projects, CEO Jacob Lauesen says:

“For many years, we have been involved in supporting initiatives like these because we want to be there more for the city and contribute to Copenhagen and its residents. This is an important part of our current strategy, We Are Copenhagen.

“Copenhageners give F.C. Copenhagen a lot of support, and helping the unemployed find pathways to education and work is just one of many ways we can and want to give back to the people of Copenhagen.”