In a recent ceremony held in Vilafranca del Penedès, the Catalan Basketball Federation awarded the +Bàsquet Inclusion Prize to Club Bàsquet Salt, recognising its outstanding contribution to social integration within the framework of the European project BaskEUball.
Thanks to Erasmus+ funding, the project combines basketball and education, aiming to foster inclusion among children from multicultural schools. The innovative approach allows students from diverse backgrounds to be integrated directly into already established basketball teams, while also offering complementary educational activities.
What is BaskEUball?
BaskEUball (Basket Change Maker: Play, Include and Educate) is a three-year initiative co-funded by Erasmus+. Its mission is to use basketball as a tool for both education and social inclusion.
Key features of the project include:
- Selecting children in vulnerable situations (around 10 boys and 10 girls per country in Spain, Lithuania, and Greece) and integrating them into existing basketball teams.
- Offering extracurricular activities connected to art, science, creative technologies, English language, and more.
- Bringing basketball into the school curriculum to reinforce transversal skills and highlight the educational value of sport.
- Organising European exchanges and tournaments across Spain, Lithuania, and Greece.
The ultimate goal is to demonstrate that sport can serve as a bridge between cultures and an arena for personal and social development.
The Role of CB Salt and Local Impact
At the local level, CB Salt has been a key partner in the project. Working closely with La Farga School, the club has welcomed students with diverse needs and included them in existing teams, avoiding the creation of separate groups.
The award highlights the club’s commitment to going beyond athletic performance: it seeks to strengthen social cohesion, provide opportunities, and demonstrate that diversity is an asset, not a barrier.
The project has also received media attention. The program +Bàsquet, produced by the Catalan Basketball Federation and La Xarxa, featured a special report on BaskEUball in Salt, showcasing the club’s community-driven model. Local institutions, including the Salt City Council, celebrated the award on social media, praising the club for its “integration policy” through European collaboration.
The Value of the Award and Looking Ahead
Winning a +Bàsquet award is not only a symbolic honour, it serves to highlight real social impact achieved through sport. By recognising projects like BaskEUball, the Federation encourages other clubs to adopt the same inclusive practices, transforming grassroots basketball into a more inclusive space for all.
For CB Salt, the recognition strengthens its ties with the local community, inspires coaches, families, and players, and opens doors to new collaborations and resources that can ensure the long-term sustainability of the initiative.
Looking ahead, the challenge is to multiply the impact: welcome more students, extend participation to additional schools, reinforce international exchanges, and share this model with other clubs in the region.
Conclusion
The award granted to Club Bàsquet Salt symbolises the belief that sport is not just an end, but a powerful means for inclusion. Through BaskEUball, children from multicultural and diverse backgrounds have found in basketball a welcoming space to share effort, grow, and thrive together.
Salt has become a reference point, proving that a great game is not only measured by the score, but by the humanity it inspires.
