Fair Play

A SoF FairPlay Football Session in the Azraq Refugee Camp in 2019

Fair Play: The beauty, simplicity and joy of playing fairly with One Ball, for the pure sake of play, anywhere and with anyone.

FairPlay for us is best represented by SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities. This is why SDG 10 is one of the three SDGs on The Ball 2022/23.

The three pillars that our fair play culture is based upon are diversity, respect and teamwork. These values play a fundamental role in all of our activities and projects. From them, we have deduced six fair play rules.

Spirit of Football’s holistic approach focuses on the mind (symbolised by the head), and the body (the hand), as well as emotions (symbolised by the heart).

  • The head stands for the transfer of knowledge. Through knowledge, participants get encouraged to reflect on the new information that Spirit presents. For example, we impart knowledge on the topic of sustainability in a project and at the same time we want participants to reflect on their own every day behaviour in this regard.
  • The hand is symbolic for the improvement of one’s own skill set. It refers to fine and gross motor skills. For example, our method fair play football improves gross motor skills. Our approach is hands on. It is experiential learning. It encourages participants to get active and to make change happen.
  • The heart stands for the impact of our values and the competence to evaluate these values. It is the emotional connection through genuinely shared values. For example, connecting people emotionally through shared values to climate change, lets them see that it is something that is integral to who they are.

The “head, hand, heart” approach, our fair play culture and the 6 fair play rules are the foundation of our work. The aim is for participants to connect the Spirit of Football learning experience with their own passions and daily lives and to encourage them to take action.

Our Fair Play future handbook explains our existing education methods. It will be constantly updated as The Ball travels around the world.

Download the Fair Play Future Handbook