Football promotes inclusion with the FCA Social Club

Officially established in 2021, the FCA Social Club is FC Annecy‘s endowment fund, which structures and amplifies a much older dynamic.

“FC Annecy has been developing social and educational initiatives in the region for over twenty years,” says Marie Bro, co-founder of the programme alongside Guillaume Tardy.

“The creation of the endowment fund has enabled us to formalise, coordinate and raise awareness of our commitments, which are already well established in the field.”

Football: a universal language

Behind the FCA Social Club lies a simple yet powerful belief: football is a powerful force for social cohesion.

“The founding idea is to use football as a tool for sharing, building and self-discovery,” explains Marie Bro.

“A ball, rules, a team: everything comes together to convey essential values such as respect, mutual support and commitment.”

This mindset underpins all of our actions, which are structured around five key pillars: disability & inclusion, solidarity, environment, citizenship and education. Through these pillars, which embody meaning and values, we aim to mobilise real levers for action designed to feed into each other in a cross-cutting manner.

Disability: from understanding to inclusion

The disability pillar is undoubtedly the most fundamental aspect of the FCA Social Club.

For Marie Bro: “The aim is to enable everyone to find their place, fully, in sports and in club life. The concept of inclusion is something that resonates very strongly with us.”

Among the flagship initiatives, the Cap O Foot tournament occupies a central place. Organised every year since 2017, it brings together teenagers and adults with psychological or mental disabilities, in partnership with the Haute-Savoie Departmental Committee for Adapted Sport.

The next edition, scheduled for 11 May 2026, will mark the eighth edition of this now unmissable event. “We offer a full day of fun workshops in the morning and matches in the afternoon, now with two levels: recreational and competitive,” explains Marie Bro. “These are moments of joy and achievement, but also of recognition for the participants.”

In the same vein, the club has also developed an adapted football section, which has grown from five players to nearly forty in just a few years, with supervised training sessions twice a week.

Not to mention the efforts made to improve accessibility for people with reduced mobility during home matches: easier parking, dedicated support, covered PRM areas. These are all concrete actions aimed at both players and spectators, ensuring that no one is left on the sidelines.

Solidarity: building bridges between causes and the public

Another key focus of the FCA Social Club is solidarity in the broadest sense.

“We want to combat all forms of discrimination and support those in need, both here and elsewhere,” summarises Marie Bro.

In practical terms, this translates into a multitude of actions, often discreet but with a strong impact. At each home match, a chalet is made available to a local or national association to present its activities and raise funds. Secours Populaire, Blouses Roses, ARSLA… The Parc des Sports becomes a place for raising awareness and provides visibility for each of these causes, which all need it.

The FCA Social Club also responds to requests from associations for donations of jerseys, tickets for vulnerable groups, and food and hygiene product collections, for which all club members are asked to contribute. The causes supported are diverse, both locally and internationally.

“We do not make direct financial donations, but we encourage civic action and useful, practical donations,” explains Marie Bro.

Environment and citizenship: the collective in action

Because social commitment also involves preserving the local area, the FCA Social Club has taken up environmental issues.

In 2023, during World Cleanup Day, players, young licence holders and partners collected 702 kg of waste in just 1½ hours around the training centre. “Involving young people in these actions also means instilling a sense of civic responsibility in them,” emphasises Marie Bro.

Waste sorting, cigarette butt bins, reusable cups: eco-responsible practices are gradually becoming part of the club’s daily routine, in line with the values promoted on the pitch.

The citizenship aspect ultimately cuts across each of the pillars. Making the sport accessible to all, promoting exchanges between different communities, and conveying the power of community through neighbourhood futsal or after-school futsal are real ways to become part of young people’s daily lives and promote social cohesion, respect for rules and commitments made.

Education: training players… and citizens

The last pillar, and by no means the least important, concerns education.

Through the Performance Rouge programme, the FCA Social Club funds what Marie Bro calls “invisible training”: nutrition, sleep, mental preparation, addiction prevention, anti-bullying…

All these themes contribute to the development of individuals and their personal fulfilment. And a young person with these solid foundations will inevitably have major qualities within a team. “A young person is not judged solely on their sporting performance, but also on their academic results and behaviour,” she explains.

“Training good players is one thing, but we also have a role as educators, and the ultimate goal is to set young people on the path to becoming well-rounded, responsible adults thanks to the values of sport.”