For Rasheda and the rest of the Peace Team, a delegation made up of both Israelis and Palestinians, travelling to the Football for Hope Festival 2010 for an international celebration had lasting effects on local peace building efforts. The Peace Team formed bonds with their peers from around the world—and in doing so, came closer together themselves. “Before the festival, the Israeli and the Palestinian players were still very separate,” Rasheda explains. “That changed completely during the two weeks and we became close friends.” Rasheda now works as a coach for the Al Quds Association, using a method she learned at the festival to teach girls the importance of fair play and dialogue. While it initially took some perseverance to explain football3, the young girls she coaches now wouldn’t play any other way.

Nagma grew up in one of India’s many slums. Overwhelmed by poverty and failing infrastructure, she found hope for her country in a different continent. “Before going to South Africa, I thought that India was always lagging behind, but I saw that people in other countries also have many problems,” Nagma says. “Even if South Africa is a poor country, they learned to use their resources and I now think that India should also focus on its resources and its positive aspects. This was a big lesson for me. I now always say that there are so many positive things in India on which the nation can build.” Nagma is now an inspiration for young girls in her community, going to tournaments to identify talented girls and encouraging them to pursue their football dreams.

By the time Special Olympics Namibia was due to meet Team Brazil on the pitch, the African delegation had suffered a run of heartbreaking defeats and was having a hard time both emotionally and physically. In the true spirit of fair play, Team Brazil decided to play their match with a difference. “We wanted to bring them back into that festival, lift them up, so that they could enjoy the festival and street football,” remembers Fabio, a member of Team Brazil. The match was one that neither team will forget. “It was on the final day. One of the boys from the other team came to me crying and gave me a hug. First I didn’t know what to do,” smiles Fabio. “Then I realised it was just because we treated them with the same affection that we received from them. So we took photos together, embraced each other, and it was a moment that I will never forget in my life.”

“My greatest memory of the festival is the moment when we won the Fair Play Trophy. Winning the first international trophy for Cambodia just meant so much to me.” Ly Heang, Spirit of Soccer’s Youth Leader at the Football for Hope Festival 2010, has moved from strength to strength since the festival—and he’s sharing his experience with young people across Cambodia and the rest of the world. “I learned how to use football to bring people together and get them to discuss,” he says. “In Cambodia, young people normally don’t express their thoughts and views. They don’t develop their own thinking, but are taught to agree to everything.” Back home, Ly Heang helped Spirit of Soccer bring football3 to Cambodia. “Here we have the chance to create another generation of Cambodians, who discuss and have their say.” In the year following the festival, Ly Heang’s growing expertise took him to India, Laos and Germany, where he led Spirit of Soccer to its second Fair Play trophy in just one year.

When Sikhumbuzo Mnculwane, an Alexandra native, was tasked with informing the community about the Football for Hope Festival 2010, he had his work cut out for him.  Locals had a hard time believing that Alexandra, a township in the heart of Johannesburg, would be hosting an official event of the FIFA World Cup.

“People were sceptical. People actually didn’t believe that a part of the World Cup would be coming to Alex, that the president would be in their township,” he reflects. “A lot of people didn’t believe it until the day it happened.”

When all 256 young participants paraded through the streets of Alex, community pride swelled. The festival was not only a celebration, but also proof that despite the xenophobia of a few years ago, Alex was ready and willing to welcome the world to its doorstep.

The Football for Hope Festival 2010 proved to the world and to the residents of Alexandra themselves that Alex was a strong, vibrant community with the spirit to overcome its challenges. One year later, young people are still playing football on the festival site, and a Football for Hope Centre is under construction nearby.

It is incredible to think that one year ago exactly, over 35 network members were united in South Africa for the Football for Hope Festival. The effort for everyone to reach South Africa was immense. Organisations submitted applications, selected their teams, gathered together travel documents and raised the flight costs. The young participants also prepared: for many it was their first time overseas, their first flight and for some even their first time to experience winter, strange food and a different language. On the ground, the team worked overtime to ensure that everything was ready; from the stadium, to the team village to the fabulous volunteers who welcomed the delegations to Johannesburg.

There is little doubt, however, that the effort was worth it. The boys and girls have stated time and again that the two weeks at the festival were two of the best in their lives. The opportunity to play in the heart of Alexandra in front of thousands of cheering spectators, to be an official World Cup participant and to make friends with young people from around the world was invigorating.

Our network members benefitted too–their status as participants in an official World Cup event was worthy recognition of their outstanding contribution to their local communities and the wider Development through Football community.

One year on and partnerships between network members continue to flourish despite being scattered across the globe. KICKFAIR has just published a series of learning materials called “Through life with a ball”. The project includes contributions from network members KICKFAIR encountered at the festival: Peres Center for Peace, Al Quds Association and Spirit of Soccer. Sport dans la Ville and Diambars are planning a youth exchange to foster bonds between Africa and Europe. And at the heart of everything are the young people themselves, many of whom remain close friends to this day.

We all look back with wonderful memories of our time together in South Africa!