At the Football for Hope Festival 2010, the game of soccer itself was used to promote intercultural exchange, conflict prevention and social integration. The matches in the tournament featured a set of special rules that many streetfootballworld network members also apply in their daily activities:
- mixed teams – girls and boys play together on a team
- no referees – disagreements on the pitch are resolved through dialogue
- fair play points – players can award an additional fair play point to the other team
“A game of three halves”:
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1. Pre-match discussion
Prior to each match, the teams come together to
discuss how they want to play the match and agree on any specific rules
they would like to play with. |
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2. Match
During the match the players themselves are responsible
for playing according to the rules they agreed on. Disagreements are
resolved by dialogue - there are no referees! |
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3. Post-match discussion
Following the match, the teams come
together again and discuss how they felt the game was played and decide
on an additional fair play point for each team. |
All discussions between the teams are assisted by mediators, helping the young players to reach an agreement. Coaches are not permitted to take part in these discussions.
This way of playing is widespread in the streetfootballworld network. Learn more about it in our Knowledge Centre.
Non-stop football!
The festival tournament took place on two specially-constructed, small-sized artificial turf pitches. The main festival pitch was in a temporary stadium that seated over 2,500 spectators. Each match was 12 minutes long and each team played at least seven matches throughout the tournament. A total of 174 matches were played between July 4 and July 10!
Not just about the goals – the Fair Play Trophy
The tournament not only crowned the first Football for Hope Festival champion. The Festival 2010 Fair Play Trophy was also up for grabs! Each delegation had the opportunity to vote for the team they felt showed the best spirit of fair play throughout the entire festival, both on and off the pitch. These votes were then combined with the number of fair play points gained during the tournament to determine the winner of the Fair Play Trophy.
GO BACK TO THE OVERVIEW OF FOOTBALL FOR HOPE FESTIVAL 2010
