Around the world, a different kind of football is being played.  While the names and the rules and the philosophies have evolved individually in communities from South America to Serbia, the goal is the same: to empower the players.

football3 describes a range of innovative approaches to achieving social development through football that all have two things in common: ‘three halves’, in which pre- and post-match dialogue is an official part of the game, and the absence of referees.  In this section you can learn more about football3: how it developed, what it means, and how organisations everywhere are using their own unique versions to transform communities.

football3 is an innovative tool for improving dialogue and understanding but how has it been received by those using it? Tami Hay of the Peres Center for Peace describes some of the benefits and reactions she received when it was first introduced into their programmes.  READ MORE

A Colombian boy once said, “I wish that one day people would take peace as seriously as a game of football.”  Taking shape in many different forms across the globe, football3 empowers people to create positive social change in their lives and in their communities by turning football into more than just a game. READ MORE

Fair Play Football, Fútbol Callejero, Straßenfußball für Toleranz… the game goes by many names and has evolved separately in different parts of the world, according to the needs of those who play it. Here you can find out more about what football3 looks like around the globe. READ MORE

From Fútbol Callejero in Argentina to Football pour la Paix in Rwanda, football3 in every corner of the world focuses on dialogue.  The three halves and the use of mediators instead of referees remain constant, but everything else—from the rules of the game to what it means to win—is developed according to each community’s needs. READ MORE

When she was asked to be a mediator at Foča 09, Weronika had never heard of football3 and had never even watched a football match.  But, as she soon realised, being a great mediator goes far beyond football.  Weronika’s story is a must-read for anyone interested in becoming a mediator themselves. READ MORE

streetfootballworld network member Defensores del Chaco created Fútbol Callejero to empower young Argentinian youth and counteract violence in the community.  The programme brings girls onto the pitch and makes respect a part of winning; the concept has become so powerful that is now used across the country, bringing dignity and hope to an entire generation. READ MORE

In 1994, Andrés Escobar was killed for having scored an own goal in the World Cup, prompting Jürgen Griesbeck to wonder how the passion that football inspired could be channelled toward positive social change instead.  Eventually, his idea became a reality: now, years later, organisations around the world are playing a different kind of football. READ MORE

Want more?  Here’s where you can find resources developed by network members and other experts in the field. READ MORE