Rafa Nadal Opens His Foundation's First Centre in Palma
The foundation has opened a centre for children in risk of social exclusion
The Rafa Nadal Foundation was created in 2007 with the aim of helping socially disadvantaged children and teenagers, offering them opportunities through the practice of sports. Their new centre in the Nou Llevant neighbourhood of Palma is the first one especially dedicated to these goals.
This centre hosts one of the foundation's most ambitious project, helping local children with difficulties to integrate into society by learning values such as collaboration, respect and effort through sports. Comprising reading and teaching rooms, a multi-sports court and a dining hall, the building offers children aged 6 to 16 a place to learn and socialise after school. The project started in October 2014 but the new centre was not concluded until October 2015, with 140 children currently involved.
This undertaking is one of many planned by the foundation, which assists disadvantaged children and teenagers in Spain with projects such as "Más que Tenis" (More than Tennis) for intellectually disabled young people, "Integración y Deporte" (Integration and Sports) aimed at teenagers in risk of social exclusion, or Study & Play offering talented young athletes scholarships to study in the US. They have also created a centre in India, Nadal's Antanapur Education Centre in collaboration with the Vicente Ferrer Foundation, providing a school and tennis courts in one of the country's poorest regions.
