Fundacja Legia and the Power of Sport in Social Impact Activities. Summary of the Webinar with Maja Gasik

The seventh webinar of the CSR in Sport Academy is now behind us. During the meeting, participants discussed how a sports club can use its potential to create real social impact. The guest speaker was Maja Gasik – Project Manager at Fundacja Legii.

The webinar focused primarily on the practical experiences of the Legia Foundation and on how social initiatives can become an integral part of the functioning of a sports organisation. The meeting also demonstrated that sport can be much more than competition and match-day events. Thanks to their influence, sports clubs are able to build communities, engage fans, support people in crisis situations, and create projects with real social significance.

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Sport as a Tool for Social Impact

At the very beginning of the webinar, Maja Gasik emphasised that sport has enormous power to influence people and build relationships that go far beyond match day itself.

The Legia Foundation operates as a separate entity connected to the sports club, which – as the speaker highlighted – creates both additional opportunities and organisational challenges. Thanks to this structure, the foundation can implement activities not only for fans of Legia Warsaw, but also for people who do not necessarily identify directly with the club.

Throughout the meeting, it was repeatedly emphasised that social projects help build long-term fan loyalty and strengthen the sense of belonging to the community gathered around a sports club. Sponsors and partners increasingly expect sports organisations to go beyond sporting competition and become actively involved in addressing real social issues.

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Legia Foundation – From Charity Support to Long-Term Social Projects

The Legia Foundation was established in 2015 and from the very beginning focused on charitable activities and supporting people in need. As Maja Gasik explained, the organisation has developed significantly over the years and now operates in four key areas: support, integration, education, and community building.

The foundation primarily works with children and young people, people with disabilities, seniors, and individuals at risk of social exclusion. Its projects are long-term initiatives designed to respond to the specific needs of the local community.

One of the webinar’s key messages was that social activities do not have to be limited to one-off charity actions. In the case of the Legia Foundation, many projects have been developed over several years and are designed as long-term initiatives.

One example discussed during the webinar was a language school organised for children and young people from Warsaw’s Praga district. As the speaker noted, some participants became the first people in their families to attend university, while others later returned to the project as teachers themselves.

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Scale of Activities and Community Building

During the webinar, participants also learned about the scale of the Legia Foundation’s activities over the last ten years.

During this time:

• the foundation supported nearly 9,000 beneficiaries,
• helped almost 150 organisations,
• engaged more than 150,000 participants in its projects,
• and raised over PLN 3.3 million through charity initiatives.

Maja Gasik highlighted that building a strong community around the foundation’s activities is crucial. It is precisely the community of fans, partners, sponsors, and volunteers that enables projects to grow on an increasingly larger scale.

The speaker also stressed the importance of transparency and building relationships with donors. Every year, the foundation informs people donating 1.5% of their tax contribution about how the funds were used, presenting concrete outcomes and results.

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“Ready to Help” – Responding to Crisis Situations

One of the webinar’s most important topics was the “Ready to Help” project, implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The initiative was created in response to the needs of Warsaw seniors, who found themselves in particularly difficult situations during the lockdown. The foundation launched a free helpline, provided psychological support, and organised deliveries of food, medicines, and meals.

Maja Gasik pointed out that for many seniors, the most important aspect was not material support itself, but the opportunity to talk and the feeling that they were not left alone.

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Supporting Ukraine and International Cooperation

Another major initiative discussed during the webinar was the “Ready to Help Ukraine” campaign, launched after the outbreak of the full-scale war in Ukraine.

The foundation organised, among others:

• a donation collection point,
• an integration and educational centre for Ukrainian mothers and children,
• sports activities for children,
• and support initiatives carried out together with sports clubs from across Europe.

These activities demonstrated that sport can become an effective tool for cooperation and support during crisis situations.

Legia Warsaw also became a European humanitarian hub within the Football Helps project. Together with international clubs, seven humanitarian transports to Ukraine were organised.

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“Everyone to the Rowers” – Combining Sport and Social Support

A significant part of the webinar was also dedicated to the Legia Foundation’s flagship project – the charity indoor rowing regatta “Everyone to the Rowers”.

The project has been organised since 2015 and over eight editions has gathered more than 4,200 participants while raising over PLN 1.3 million for social causes.

Through this initiative, the Legia Foundation has been able to support numerous charitable and social projects while simultaneously engaging the sports community, business partners, and fans.

Each edition of the project focuses on a different social issue. The foundation has supported, among others:

• the 116 111 helpline,
• people experiencing homelessness,
• the Children’s Memorial Health Institute,
• an oncology hospice,
• and projects promoting intergenerational dialogue.

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Football Players as Ambassadors of Social Impact

Another important topic discussed during the webinar was the involvement of players in the foundation’s activities.

Football players actively participate in the Legia Foundation’s initiatives by taking part in hospital visits, meetings with children, charity events, educational programmes, and social campaigns. As Maja Gasik emphasised, the presence of athletes often has enormous significance for project beneficiaries and helps build even stronger engagement around the foundation’s activities.

She also highlighted that even a small gesture from an athlete can have a huge impact on the beneficiaries of social projects. At the same time, it is important to adopt an individual approach and tailor the form of involvement to each specific player.

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CSR as Real Action, Not Just a Slogan

At the end of the webinar, the speaker emphasised that social activity in sport comes with many challenges – from financial issues to maintaining engagement regardless of the team’s sporting results.

At the same time, she stressed that CSR should not be treated solely as an element of strategy or image-building. Above all, it is about real work with people and responding to the needs of the community.

The webinar was a practical example of how a sports organisation can use its potential to create long-term social impact and build an engaged community around a sports club.

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CSR in Sport Academy

The CSR in Sport Academy is a series of nine online meetings featuring practitioners from the sports industry. Each webinar provides practical examples, experiences, and recommendations that participants can implement within their own organisations.

Next week, participants will meet another speaker – Jakub Szlendak.

There are still two webinars ahead, and it is still possible to join the programme.

If you were unable to attend the webinar, you can catch up by watching the full recording.

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