The BTN Foundation charity fund has announced the launch of the BTN:Start project — a network of amputee football support centers aimed at veterans and civilians with amputations or limb function impairments. The initiative is being implemented jointly with the Shakhtar Social charity fund and has become the first joint program of the two organizations for the development of adaptive and inclusive sports in Ukraine. As envisioned by the organizers, the centers are meant to serve as a gateway to an active life: here, anyone who wishes can get acquainted with the specifics of amputee football, try out a training session, receive the necessary equipment and kit, and get support from coaches and specialized professionals.
What is BTN:Start and how the centers are organized
BTN:Start is not a one-off event, but a system of permanently operating locations where sport serves as a tool for rehabilitation and social integration. As emphasized by BTN Foundation, the most difficult stage for participants is usually the very start, when a person does not yet believe in their own abilities. Therefore, the centers' format is designed so that there is always someone nearby to support the first step and to remain present going forward. "It is important to us that a person returns here for the feeling of being part of a team, and a good result will surely follow," the foundation noted. Thus, the project focuses not only on physical activity but also on psychological recovery and the formation of a community of like-minded people.
New locations: Bila Tserkva, Bilohorodka, and Irpin
The first BTN:Start centers are opening in Bila Tserkva, Bilohorodka, and Irpin. Distributing them across several settlements has practical significance: it becomes easier for veterans and civilians to join training near their homes, to train regularly, and without long commutes. In addition, the local network allows participants to meet representatives of other centers during friendly matches and joint events. For questions about joining training in the mentioned cities, the organizers provided a contact phone number: +380 67 673 4542.
Social program and the role of partners
In addition to sports activities, the centers have an extensive social program planned: joint watchings of football matches, tournaments on sports simulators, and family evenings, during which players will be able to spend time with their loved ones. Entrepreneur and IT investor Roman Balashov, commenting on the initiative, noted that for veterans, a return to an active life is not only physical recovery but also a return of self-confidence, the search for like-minded people and new opportunities. In his words, such projects create an accessible environment in which sport becomes a point of support and helps move forward.
Shakhtar Social's experience and systemic partnership
At Shakhtar Social, they emphasized that the organization already has successful experience implementing similar projects in Chernihiv and Mykolaiv, and the team understands how important and at the same time difficult it is for people to return to an active life after severe injuries. "We have enough experience to prepare everything necessary for the operation of amputee football centers, the recruitment of specialists, and the start of training," said Myroslava Pinda, project manager at Shakhtar Social. It is precisely this experience, in her words, that became the basis for joining forces with BTN Foundation to expand rehabilitation and sports opportunities in other cities of Ukraine.
Context: state support for veterans
The launch of BTN:Start takes place against the backdrop of a broader policy of support for defenders: earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a new program of assistance for veterans, under which the Cabinet of Ministers is to develop amendments redirecting state and local resources toward more effective support. In this logic, private and public initiatives such as BTN:Start complement state mechanisms, forming a sustainable ecosystem of rehabilitation through adaptive sport.
