Theory
On 12th December 2023 our international group was invited to the host organisation La Rotllana. There we were shown around. We were very much impressed by the amazing radio studio that they have. Later we sat down and a man called Fran, accompanied by Angela’s translation, told us all about the idea of football3. We have never heard about it before. He showed us a presentation and a football3 website where you can register and do a course regarding the subject. It contained videos, fragments of texts and short quizzes which we did together. It was very interesting for us. The website itself was in my opinion well structured, easy to navigate in and aesthetic. We discovered that this sport isn’t just about football playing skills but more about fair play, gender equality, teamwork and respect. It is a great tool to empower young people. These are some of the important rules in football3: – Teams are mixed-gender and consist of 5-7 players, – The first goal must be scored by a girl, – There are fixed rules, which are not changeable, for example if the ball goes out, teams must decide who has possession, and open rules, that both teams agree on before every match, for example the goalkeeper is rotated after each goal scored and that both teams celebrate when a goal is scored, regardless of who scored it – the game doesn’t focus on winning or losing, – There are 3 halves – pre-match discussion, the football match and post-match discussion; the match lasts between 10 and 12 minutes, – There aren’t only players and a coach but players, mediators, trainers and managers – each with a different role on the pitch and in organising football3 tournaments, for example mediators are people who observe matches as well as lead discussions before and after them, – After the game a team may get extra points for fair play. Some of the issues football3 talks about are: civic engagement, health, peacebuilding, previously mentioned gender equality, social inclusion and employability. This incredible project is supported by the European Commission and connects people from around 75 organisations around the world which is very impressive. It was a wonderful and educational meeting for us.
Practice
On 14th December a small group of the training course participants had a chance to visit football3 training at a local school. Coach Judith was our guide there. We could see that she had a trusting and respectful relationship with teenage players and the other mentor. We watched girls and boys play. First was the pre-match discussion, then the match itself and at the end the post-match discussion. It was interesting to see that the match was basically run by the players because they knew the rules, fixed ones and open ones, with the guidance of the mediators. It’s good in our opinion because they can pass the idea of football3 and sport3 to others and encourage them to take into account gender equality, peacebuilding or social inclusion. Some of the players spoke very good English and we could have asked them questions and Judith questions about their participation in this sport. Aside from that, during the match we were waiting for one of the girls to score the first goal because it was a new rule for us. The match lasted only 12 minutes so it wasn’t that long for us and we could fully concentrate on it and cheer teams with all the other players. This sport encourages young people to develop their skills, grow, and take more responsibilities. An example of that can be the fact that when the meeting ended and other teams approached one of the players changed his role from player to mentor for the first time. He was a bit worried at the beginning however later he did his work perfectly.
