Many European streetfootballworld network members are promoting the social integration of young people in their communities. Working under the principle that we are all equals on the football pitch, these organisations go one step further and help participants make the connection between the values they embrace in football and their own lives. The content of this section was created in collaboration with streetfootballworld network members Street League, sending young Street League employees to Ireland, France and Bosnia and Herzegovina to visit and profile other network members. The time they spent sharing experiences with other organisations has provided everyone involved with insight that will support their work across the continent.

The project “Football for the social integration of young people in Europe” was supported by the Council of Europe and UEFA. The content is also available as a printed publication called “On and Off the Pitch” (DOWNLOAD PDF, 3 MB).

Social integration goes hand-in-hand with solidarity, harmony, dignity and peace and can be achieved by directly challenging issues such as unemployment in a community, racism in a country and xenophobia between nations. Football can be used to engage, to teach, to create peace and to promote understanding. READ MORE

Founded in 1998 in Lyon, Sports dans la Ville uses sport–particularly football–to instil core values in young people, helping them integrate socially and improve their employability. By placing football at the root of participants’ experience, France’s largest non-profit sports organisation has helped to integrate many young people from disadvantaged communities into French society. READ MORE

Open Fun Football Schools (OFFS) uses football to improve social cohesion between teachers, coaches and children of different ethnicities. Participants enjoy creative games, communicating with each other and creating lasting friendships. The organisation’s dedication is bringing positive results: funding for grassroots football has increased and the first generation of OFFS participants are now becoming volunteer coaches themselves. READ MORE

Formed in 1997, Sports Against Racism Ireland (SARI) promotes social integration using sporting events, mentoring schemes and school education programmes to tackle discrimination. SARI supports individuals from new communities, lobbies for social inclusion through sport, offers young people positive role models, and provides expertise to ethnically based football teams that emerged from its intercultural tournament Soccerfest. READ MORE

Founded in London in 2001, Street League delivers sport and education programmes, tackling issues of homelessness, addiction and crime. Football is the motivating force and the medium to develop players’ social skills, health and employability. Street League operates in some of the UK’s most deprived areas, integrating young people from the outskirts of society into fulfilling education and employment opportunities. READ MORE

EUROSCHOOLS 2008 aimed to raise intercultural awareness, dialogue and respect. Over 20,000 students in Austria, Liechtenstein and Switzerland spent a year learning about a European country, Fair Play Football and the importance of cultural acceptance. Outstanding schools attended the EUROSCHOOLS YOUTH CAMP 2008, a football-filled week with delegations from the countries that students had studied over the year. READ MORE

In 2008 and 2009 streetfootballworld and streetfootballworld network member Football Friends organised a European Street Football Festival—a celebration of the power of football for social integration in Europe. Twelve teams of young people from the Balkans and twelve from the rest of Europe met in Foča for intercultural dialogue and a Fair Play Football tournament. READ MORE

Though diverse, the profiled organisations share common characteristics of best practice: they provide local, safe places for young people to participate in sports and encourage males and females to participate as equals. Furthermore, these organisations provide role models to make social concepts more tangible: success stories show that integration is indeed possible. READ MORE