Intergenerational get-together with an eagle on the chest

GET-TOGETHER

As part of the celebration of Sport Lisboa e Benfica's 121st anniversary, the Benfica Foundation was challenged by the Benfica Football School to promote an intergenerational meeting and get-together that would encourage the sharing of experiences and knowledge about the Club and its history.

In this context, an initiative was organized that brought together an atypical group on the synthetic turf of Estádio da Luz: a mixed group of children from the Club's Football Schools, and a group of seniors from the Benfica Foundation, Walking Football practitioners, also made up of ladies and gentlemen.

The initial motto was, of course, to play sport. To get to know each other and thus break the ice of first contacts. It was particularly interesting to watch the children learning the rules and practice of Walking Football with the seniors.

It's very challenging to ask children not to run, which is the main rule of Walking Football, but little by little they adapted and did their best.

Truth be told, even seniors, with years of practice, still struggle to resist the temptation of a short sprint to reach that ball that's slipping away. With this exercise, the children were able to put themselves in the shoes of their elders and learn a new sport.

Then the transition to a very special place. The center of the pitch of the old Estádio da Luz, located in the parking lot of the club's Sports Complex, next to the statue of Eusébio.

A etapa posterior passou por uma visita ao Museu Benfica – Cosme Damião, no qual o Património Cultural tinha um percurso personalizado para esta interação entre as duas gerações, ativando, em espaços específicos, memórias e conhecimentos, que foram partilhados, bem como curiosidades ouvidas pela primeira vez da mediadora cultural.

A highlight was the moment towards the end of the visit, at the Eagle's Nest, where, after watching the video, advice and tips were passed on between the groups.

The visit to the Estádio da Luz, to the delight of everyone present, was the perfect culmination to an enriching experience.