Play Football Make Peace

Play Football Make Peace (PFMP) has created a valuable partnership with Football 4 Peace (F4P), an organization involved in both football and the work of peace in Israel. F4P involves educators and students from the University of Brighton UK, the German Sport University Cologne, and with support from the British Council and the FA of England. It began in 2000 as a coaching program to promote conflict prevention and peaceful co-existence between Arab-Israeli and Jewish Israeli youth; the program has grown larger each year.

The aims of the program are to provide opportunities for social contact across community boundaries, to promote mutual understanding, and engender in participants a desire for and commitment to peaceful coexistence while also enhancing soccer skills and technical knowledge of the game.

By promoting its 5 Principles of Fair Play: Neutrality, Equity and Inclusion, Respect, Trust, and Responsibility; F4P hopes that at the end of the program, the young people involved can attach each principle to specific attitudes and behaviors. The main purpose of the project is that these behaviors are then transferred to life beyond the game of football.

See Pictures at the bottom of this article!

F4P Program
The F4P program is divided into several sessions of on-pitch and off-pitch activities used to teach each principle.  Each session follows the format of first warm-up, then the technical skill phase, followed by small-sided games, and ending with a cool-down. The session begins with the warm-up where the players are first introduced to the principle and theme for the session. Through various activities reinforcing the specific principle, the players begin to understand its meaning. The technical skill phase is the main coaching period in which certain drills help reinforce soccer skills while still maintaining the session’s theme. Small sided games help incorporate the game aspect of soccer while helping provide “teachable moments” that the players can later reflect upon. These teachable moments are instances throughout the session in which the particular principle was upheld or violated. The session ends with the “cool-down” period in which the teachable moments from throughout the day are explored and the principles re-emphasized.

As part of the program, off-pitch activities are just as important as the on-pitch sessions. These activities done away from the playing field help to promote camaraderie, friendship, and trust among the players. Through various group games, team-building and problem-solving activities the players develop teamwork off the soccer field.

The program concludes with a “Football Festival” in which all the teams attend. Competition and winning are only one aspect of the festival as good sportsmanship and fair play are the greater goals.

Coaches’ Training at the German Sport University in Cologne, Germany
PFMP joined Football4Peace in Cologne, Germany hosted by the German Sport University for 4 days of intensive training and education. Students from Brighton University, the German Sport University, Arab-Israeli, Jewish-Israeli, and coaches from the Estonian Football Association joined together in preparation for the project in Israel. The coaches were put through 4 days of off-pitch and on-pitch activities in order to experience the program first hand. A Children’s Safety Session was also taught by the FA of England stressing the importance of placing priority in the overall well-being of the players. The final day included a Football Festival inviting hundreds of elementary school children for one day of fun and football. The purpose of this training session was to better prepare the nearly 60 coaches and students for the work in Israel the following month.
Israel 2008

The coaching program in Israel was a week long program designed to bring together youth from different communities throughout Israel. Players from Jewish-Israeli and Arab-Israeli communities came together for a week long opportunity of creating friendships and improving their soccer skills. Play Football Make Peace helped support the efforts of Football 4 Peace in Israel by becoming a valuable partner and resource. PFMP had a total of 5 coaches help contribute to this year’s Football 4 Peace efforts in Israel.

 The first day was used for orientation and a review of the lessons from the Coaches’ Training Program held in Cologne, Germany. The coaches and students arrived at the Wingate Institute, a premier coaching school in Israel. The coaches were then divided into various teams assigned in different regions throughout the country. Each team consisted of 3-4 UK and German coaches with a team leader. In turn, each coach worked with another Jewish-Israeli and Arab-Israeli coach who also served as a translator; forming a diversified coaching team. Each team was responsible for 16 players divided according to age group: 10-12 years old and 12-14 years old. Over 500 children participated in the weeklong coaching program.

The program ended with a spectacular Football Festival in which nearly 60 teams competed to practice the principles of Football 4 Peace. The team demonstrating the values the most received the Fair Play Award; becoming more important than winning the football matches itself. The players enjoyed the spirit of the games while continuing to practice the good sportsmanship and fair play they learned throughout the week.

Through this partnership, Football 4 Peace and Play Football Make Peace hope to work together as valued teammates in winning the goal of peace through sports.

Special thanks to the Football 4 Peace and its staff, the British Council, the Peace Dream Foundation, and Play Football Make Peace, the Estonian Football Association, the Estonian Women’s National Team members, and the local Sports Councils for an incredible week of football and friendship.

Israel 2008

The coaching program in Israel was a week long program designed to bring together youth from different communities throughout Israel. Players from Jewish-Israeli and Arab-Israeli communities came together for a week long opportunity of creating friendships and improving their soccer skills. Play Football Make Peace helped support the efforts of Football 4 Peace in Israel by becoming a valuable partner and resource. PFMP had a total of 5 coaches help contribute to this year’s Football 4 Peace efforts in Israel.

 The first day was used for orientation and a review of the lessons from the Coaches’ Training Program held in Cologne, Germany. The coaches and students arrived at the Wingate Institute, a premier coaching school in Israel. The coaches were then divided into various teams assigned in different regions throughout the country. Each team consisted of 3-4 UK and German coaches with a team leader. In turn, each coach worked with another Jewish-Israeli and Arab-Israeli coach who also served as a translator; forming a diversified coaching team. Each team was responsible for 16 players divided according to age group: 10-12 years old and 12-14 years old. Over 500 children participated in the weeklong coaching program.

The program ended with a spectacular Football Festival in which nearly 60 teams competed to practice the principles of Football 4 Peace. The team demonstrating the values the most received the Fair Play Award; becoming more important than winning the football matches itself. The players enjoyed the spirit of the games while continuing to practice the good sportsmanship and fair play they learned throughout the week.

Through this partnership, Football 4 Peace and Play Football Make Peace hope to work together as valued teammates in winning the goal of peace through sports.

Special thanks to the Football 4 Peace and its staff, the British Council, the Peace Dream Foundation, and Play Football Make Peace, the Estonian Football Association, the Estonian Women’s National Team members, and the local Sports Councils for an incredible week of football and friendship.