As the World Cup host, Russia is not only greeting teams and fans from all over the world, but it's also trying to make the sport more accessible for the young and marginalized. One charity is coaching children with Down syndrome. Jessica King reports from Moscow. 

Russia has recently stepped up its efforts to get more children with Down's syndrome playing football. There are still misconceptions about the nature of the disability, and young people can often encounter prejudice or unfriendliness. Families at this sports centre in Moscow, say football training has given their children new skills and confidence.

LILIYA PAVLENKO PARENT "Pasha was always shy, but when he started doing football - it's new friends, new acquaintances, new coaches and new people. He's learning how to communicate, he's learning to play in a team."

OLGA REPINA PARENT "We started doing football as soon as this group for children with Down syndrome was started. It's very important for our family because our son is taking part in a team sport, he likes it a lot, he's developing."

The charity 'Downside Up' runs these schemes across Russia. Now their projects have been included in FIFA's Football for Hope programme. The aim is to help improve the lives of young people through sport. Head Coach Aleksander Makhov says the results speak for themselves.

ALEKSANDER MAKHOV SENIOR COACH "The country's making a lot of effort to develop sports for disabled people, and we want Down syndrome footballers to be part of this story. We realize perfectly well that not all of them will become athletes or champions, but sports activities, team activities, do shape personality, and we've got results. The parents are giving us feedback we don't always expect, saying that kids have gotten more disciplined, more cooperative, that they're having a different type of relationship at home. That's the key goal of these classes."

Mr. Makhov believes working with 'Downside Up' is not only a step forward for these children but for the whole country.