Many associated with the football industry believe they have the responsibility, but also the opportunity to create a positive impact through the sport.
In our latest exclusive conversation for WFS Digest, we welcome Anna Fedorchuk, Head of Sport at InDrive, to dive into the inspiring world of Supernovas, an international non-profit football project powered by inDrive. Supernovas aims to bring joy and opportunity to children in small towns and vulnerable communities by providing a safe and inclusive environment for them to play and grow. Discover how this unique initiative is making a significant impact, fostering social inclusion, and promoting community resilience through the universal language of football.
World Football Summit (WFS): What is the idea of the Supernovas project? How are both Supernovas and InDrive linked?
Anna: Supernovas is an international non-profit football project that aims to make children happy in small towns or vulnerable communities. We do this through the most popular game in the world: football. We create a safe and nurturing environment for children where alternatives to extracurricular activities are limited.
We have several projects, including Supernovas and YourPace, which focus on football and running respectively. These projects support access to sports in rural areas or underprivileged communities. This empowerment has a ripple effect, improving overall community resilience and development: research suggests that sport can provide a sense of social inclusion, away from the threats. Sports clubs can create a community that welcomes vulnerable youths and provides an alternative social network. Those who attend sports clubs can meet new people and find positive direction in their lives, and participation in sports programs often goes hand-in-hand with education and skills development. Encouraging physical activity through sports programs therefore contributes to the overall health and well-being of children and community members.
WFS: Why does inDrive need the development of sports projects? What makes Supernovas unique?
Anna: The company was founded ten years ago as an alternative to the traditional taxi service, as there was a problem with inflated prices. For many people, it simply became unaffordable. The main goal was to challenge existing injustices. All these years, the model for creating fair services has continued to scale and cover more and more business segments. Now, inDrive works in 46 countries around the world. Empowering communities is embedded into our DNA as a company. Our social impact is evident in our business model, with our pioneering bid-based approach placing control back into the hands of passengers and drivers.
inDrive needs sports projects like Supernovas to extend its mission of challenging injustices into new areas, using sports to provide opportunities and a safe environment for children in vulnerable communities. At Supernovas, we aim to extend these opportunities to every child while helping parents and coaches instill vital values like fairness, equality, and respect for others. Through this approach, we make a positive impact on communities by supporting their cohesion and love for sports.
“Supernovas aims to help instill vital values like fairness, equality, and respect for others.”
WFS: How are locations selected for Supernovas? (Countries, regions, communities…)
Anna: Supernovas operates in 6 countries: Kazakhstan, Egypt, Kenya, Ghana, Colombia, and Chile. We carefully selected all these countries based on many criteria such as:
- The level of social development
- The popularity of football
- The opportunities for conducting this type of activity
- The resources we have
We deliberately started in different parts of the world to gain experience working in many different countries. We are growing and developing along with the project, which is very interesting and exciting!
Now, Supernovas has 27 locations, and more than 2,000 children study there. I am especially happy that among these children are girls and children with special needs—this is exactly the kind of inclusive environment we tried to create.
WFS: What kind of children do you work with?
Anna: Supernovas works with children from 5 to 12 years old. Training is open to both boys and girls. The program is inclusive and open to all, irrespective of nationality, religion, social status, or developmental characteristics.
WFS: What determines the success of a project? What are the KPIs?
Anna: The main indicator of the project’s success for us is the happiness of the children who attend it. Of course, it is difficult to call this an “indicator” and “measure.” We regularly conduct surveys of children, parents, and coaches to determine how satisfied they are with the project and their participation. We also, of course, calculate the SROI and CPP of our project. We also monitor the number of participants and pay attention to attendance. In the future, we will measure how the presence of our project affects the community – whether children’s performance at school changes, whether their health improves, whether childhood crime and bad habits decrease.
WFS: What are your ambitions for Supernovas?
Anna: We will continue to train more and more coaches and ensure their high-quality interaction with children.
We will continue launching Supernovas in various countries and remote areas, enabling more children to access our training programs.
WFS: Can you describe in one / two sentences the football you want? Or the football you need?
Anna: As a football manager, my biggest dream is for football to be accessible and inclusive to everyone. And also so that everyone in grassroots football is focused on the joy of the game.
WFS: Where can people learn more about you and Supernovas?
Anna: People can learn more about the project by visiting the Supernovas website, and our social media accounts where they can also find information about becoming a trainer and participating in the project. We are always open to cooperating with other projects in Latin America, so feel free to reach out to us so we can work together!
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