In a special ceremony during half-time at the State Cup Final in Jerusalem, Kick it Out – in collaboration with the Israel Football Association – awarded $25,000 in grants to grassroots Israeli initiatives using soccer to promote shared society, coexistence, and tolerance. The ceremony was witnessed by tens of thousands of spectators including President Reuven Rivlin. The first round of awards were given during the semi-finals, and the next round is planned for the start of the new soccer season in August.

Also last week, Kick it Out premiered a new inspiring video for the Team of Equals, which brings together Jewish children from West Jerusalem and Arab children from East Jerusalem.

The team is a joint partnership between Hapoel Katamon and the Beit Safafa Football Academy, and is sponsored by Kick it Out. Everything is run on the basis of full equality and joint decision-making. No other Israeli team is run like this. Earlier this year, the team visited the Knesset, where they met members of the coalition and the opposition.