In 1994, Defensores del Chaco sprang to life in Moreno, Argentina as a traditional football league, in an effort by the founders to reclaim the rights of young Argentineans to play sports.

Seven years later, in 2001, the country’s economic and civil crisis had seeped onto the pitch: the young participants were becoming more violent.

Players thought of themselves, not their team, on the pitch, and the atmosphere was threatening.  It was a challenge for participants to play without ending up in a fight; aggression had become a way of life.

A place to play
Brushing aside the warnings of community members that working with these individuals was a waste of time, Defensores del Chaco continued to offer young people a place to play and feel recognised, and they came.  Indeed, they had nowhere else to go.

But when they were there, they fought, and the violence persisted.  The organisation, however, had a more inclusive environment in mind.

After meeting Jürgen Griesbeck and his colleagues from Colombia and discussing how they were using football to address violence in Medellín, Colombia, the organisation looked into players’ home environments and monitored aggression at games: when did the players make decisions and when did the referees step in?  How did the coaches affect the mood on the pitch?  How many times did each player touch the ball? 

Reduced to the essence
With the results in, Defensores del Chaco was able to start implementing changes. The first was the size of the pitch, which went from a regular-sized pitch to a 5-a-side mini pitch.

On a regular pitch, players didn’t have many opportunities to actually touch the ball. A smaller field meant more direct involvement—and a closer connection to both teammates and opponents.

The pitch was not the only thing to shrink. Defensores del Chaco removed referees from the equation altogether.

The organisation realised that when a referee made calls, players felt less responsible for their actions. Decisions about their behaviour and the consequences thereof were made by someone else.  Players grew accustomed to relinquishing personal responsibility, but would often react with violence if they disagreed with a call.

Mediadores
To fill the void, Defensores del Chaco created “mediadores”, or mediators.  Like referees, they were to be an impartial third party; unlike referees, mediators weren’t invested with the power to make decisions. Their role was solely to help the young players take responsibility for their own actions and make their own calls, and they were meant to interfere only in case of a serious dispute.

This wasn’t immediately the case. In the beginning, mediators acted more as referees than Defensores del Chaco had envisaged; it took some time for players to get used to the idea that no-one would tell them how to play the game and what was right or wrong.

Although they’d all agreed on the new rules, the young people rarely reported fouls, waiting instead for someone else to step in. In increments, however, mediators were able to hand power over to the players as originally intended.

The third half
The desire to bring more power to participants was also behind the introduction of a ‘third half’ in which players would meet after the match to discuss whether they had played fairly. This separate, sanctioned space dedicated solely to respectful discussion was something that wasn’t available at school, at home, or in traditional games.

The young people began to look forward to this chance to evaluate the game and started to use it as an opportunity to talk about wider-reaching issues as well. The third half was a place for dialogue that allowed players to listen to others and to themselves.

Over time, not overnight
Patience was important for Defensores del Chaco; the organisation, quite reasonably, didn’t expect anything to change overnight. They also recognised the need for trial and error—if an idea didn’t produce the results they wanted, they would amend or even replace it altogether until they found something that worked.

Which is why, when Defensores del Chaco realised that the violence had only faded, but not completely disappeared, they were ready to try something new once again.

Girls too
Defensores del Chaco’s solution to the continuing violent undercurrents was just as controversial as its first attempt to change the rules: in a macho society where the football ground is regarded as the undisputed territory of boys and men, they brought girls onto the pitch.

The principle behind the move was simple: Defensores del Chaco had noticed that putting a female into an otherwise all-male group actually decreased overall tendencies toward aggression.

Implementing the new approach was complicated. Not only did the boys resist the idea of playing with girls, the girls were also reluctant to share space with the boys. But Defensores del Chaco eventually managed to get both genders playing together, and soon after, the organisation found that the experiment was working: the level of violence dropped noticeably.

It was the girls who tended to talk in the third half while the boys paid careful attention.  On top of changing the game, Defensores del Chaco’s mixed-gender approach also had a positive effect on the lives of female participants, who until then had been marginalised in a chauvinistic society.

Adapting the rules
Again, Defensores del Chaco remained flexible, always adjusting, amending, reimagining to get just the right balance.  Initially, the rules heavily favoured female participation. Girls’ goals counted double, each team had to have at least one girl on the pitch at all times, and the first goal had to be scored by a girl to count.

The need to differentiate eventually became less urgent, and now boys and girls play together as equals, with girls completely integrated into the game. 

Today at least two women and two men from each team must be on the pitch at all times—a minimum number of males had to be established to account for the teams that have more girls than boys.

Players have the option of specifying whether a girl’s goal counts double, but the rules favouring women are no longer mandatory and are actually often considered to be not only unnecessary, but also even insulting to female players.

A new score
Another aspect of the game that underwent significant change was the scoring. When Defensores del Chaco started implementing Fútbol Callejero, respecting the rules and values was worth ten points. A traditional ‘win’—scoring more goals than the other team—was worth only one. Many matches were decided based on adherence to the rules and spirit of the game, while physical prowess on the field took a back seat.

The rules were changed in 2005 and again in 2009; currently, three points are awarded for having the most goals, one point is awarded for a draw, and fair play and respect net a team three points each.

Outcomes
The adoption of Fútbol Callejero, which Defensores del Chaco runs alongside a traditional football league, has had positive repercussions that vibrate from the players to their community.

Defensores del Chaco’s aims of breaking down barriers in Moreno and helping people reclaim the right to play sports has been, on many counts, achieved.

Violence in Moreno is down, and young people from nearby communities are also coming to join on the pitch.

Fútbol Callejero allows Defensores del Chaco to help prevent destructive behaviour as well as to develop young people’s ability to take on personal responsibility and to respect and understand others. It’s a collective, almost sacred space, where everyone is united and accepted under the values of tolerance and responsibility.

In a way, Fútbol Callejero has shown the entire community that each individual, whether on or off the football pitch, can and should change their harsh reality.

This success has led to over 100 organisations across Argentina adopting Fútbol Callejero as their own. Requiring almost no infrastructure and connecting directly with excluded young people, the methodology is easy to replicate. All it takes is players, a place to play, and passion.

Says Maximilliano Pelayes, who started out as a player at Defensores del Chaco and is now its president: “I think one can confirm that this methodology saves lives. It creates hope and gives dignity to a person.  […]  It’s a daily exercise that everyone can apply throughout their lives.”

By passing on fundamental values, Fútbol Callejero operates as a metaphor for daily life.

A continuing process
Despite all this, Defensores del Chaco’s work is not done; the very fact that new players arrive on a regular basis means that the need to learn self-expression still exists.

Defensores del Chaco currently has 1700 young participants who are affected by difficult situations such as violence, school dropouts and problems at home.

The advantage that the organisation now has is that it has a clearer understanding of its method and its tools.  It knows what works and what doesn’t, and its history shows that it can adapt to best support its young players in overcoming their disadvantages and taking control of their lives.

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