The Russian Football Union announces the second season of the Steel Will football festival, staged in Sochi with support from Fonbet. The festival runs from April 24 to April 27 on the Sirius federal territory. The organizers emphasize the event as a nationwide effort to broaden access to football for people with disabilities and to showcase inclusive sport across Russia and beyond.
This year the festival brings together 600 participants from 30 regions. Accredited by the Ministry of Sport, five disability sports federations will be represented, covering eight disciplines in three age groups for men and women aged 15 to 18. The participants will compete and learn in a setting designed to highlight skill, teamwork, and resilience. The scale and diversity of the lineup reflect a sustained commitment to adaptive football across the country.
During the festival, the RFU Academy will host a hands on training module as part of a professional development program for 40 adaptive football coaches. Alexei Smertin, a former midfielder of the Russian national team and the head of the RFU project office for sustainable development and social responsibility, notes that the initiative will continue to grow and mature as it reaches more players and coaches. His remarks underline a long term vision for the project that goes beyond wins and losses to building lasting community ties and opportunities.
Stalnaya Volya stands out as a flagship initiative that brings together a large number of disabled players in one inclusive space. The project began last year and has completed all phases up to the final, with more than 2,000 participants taking part in the 2022 tournament. This year the organizers aim to deepen participation, widening access to football for people with diverse abilities and encouraging sustained involvement in the sport. The festival is presented as a platform where effort, camaraderie, and a shared passion for football come to life on the field and beyond.
The festival organizer stresses that Will of Steel is not just about scores and seconds. It is about people connecting, communicating, and celebrating life through sport. The program is designed to foster genuine interactions among participants, volunteers, and spectators, and to showcase the joy and discipline that football can bring to every community involved. The message from the leadership emphasizes that the project is about more than matches; it is about transforming lives and widening the circle of football enthusiasts across society.
The Sochi event marks only the first Steel Will tournament in 2023. The schedule includes additional stops in Nizhny Tagil and Kazan, culminating in a final tournament in Sirius at the end of September. The regional series aims to spread opportunity for adaptive football across major cities, helping to ensure broad participation and sustained momentum for the project through the year.
In related developments, reports note that legends of the Russian national teams have previously engaged schoolchildren in football education activities, demonstrating a commitment to growing the sport at the grassroots level and inspiring younger generations to participate in inclusive football programs. [RFU communications]