‘Football3 for Respect’ – The Ball Starts Rolling
During the last week of March, the launch of the program ‘Football3 for Respect‘ took place in Budapest. This is a consortium made up of fifteen European organizations working in the field of football for development, and Red Deporte is proud to be part of it.
Hosted by the Hungarian NGO Oltalom, we shared our respective experiences with the football3 methodology and laid the foundation for building a complementary tool to the current methodology, developed by streetfootballworld, the coordinating organization of the program.
The goal of this consortium is to expand the benefits of football3 at both national and European levels. Over the course of two years, we will implement, both domestically and across Europe, all the advantages of this method, which prioritizes the development of dialogue, leadership, and initiative among young people. The football3 method divides the game into three parts: first, a discussion of the rules between the two opposing teams; second, the actual match; and third, a reflection and discussion about what happened on the field. Mediators are present to guide the process with minimal intervention, allowing boys and girls to take center stage. It is also an inclusive methodology, strongly promoting equal participation of girls.
The gathering in Budapest naturally included a football match using this methodology, with local Hungarian youth invited to participate. On the final day of the European meeting, Oltalom invited the rest of the organizations to attend a football3-style tournament with various teams the organization works with.
Football3 within Red Deporte
‘Football3 for Respect’ fits perfectly with the reality of Cañada, where much remains to be done in terms of real coexistence between communities. “Oh, I don’t play with the Moors,” says Cristian when invited to train with Moroccan youth. “I’m not playing with the gypsies,” declares Ayub in response to the same invitation, but the other way around.
Without a doubt, ‘Football3 for Respect’ will help break down prejudices and invisible barriers. Part of our strategy is to unite both communities into one team that plays in tournaments outside Cañada. At the same time, we hope to welcome visiting teams from across the Madrid region and Spain to our pitch. Football must play a role in community cohesion and act as an ambassador for this neighborhood, which suffers from an unjustified bad reputation.
Football3 is a simple methodology, though not overly simplistic—especially when implemented in environments where it’s most needed. For Red Deporte, having the help of mediators and taking things step by step is essential, as introducing too many changes at once can clash with reality.
There is still a long road ahead to fully integrate girls into football in Cañada. For now, we are introducing the part of the methodology where youth change the rules of the game themselves and gradually training coaches in this approach. The ‘Football3 for Respect’ ball has started rolling, and the union of these fifteen organizations will ensure it goes far.
‘Football3 for Respect’ is a program led by streetfootballworld and supported by the European Commission. It aims to strengthen and expand this methodology across Europe and to promote the exchange of best practices among the organizations in the consortium.
