Football 4 Peace Ireland

More about Football 4 Peace Ireland

Northern Ireland has a long history of sectarian violence and distrust between communities since the 12th Century when England invaded. This escalated over time with the arrival of Scottish Protestants, the English reformation and then the split with the south. Sport has followed sectarian lines with ‘English’ games are played by protestants and ‘Gaelic’ games are played by Catholics. Football is regarded as neutral (although not without its issues).

The activities and coaching methodology devised by F4P International has been adopted and adapted to the Irish context to include multi sports. Its objectives in the North West of Ireland are to: 1) promoting good relations across the border, challenging racism and sectarianism whilst promoting healthy living amongst young people through the medium of sport delivered by school, community groups and club partnerships; 2) build capacity for future cross border collaboration and co-operation between partners, governing bodies and other relevant organisations to promote positive good relations through sport. 3) improve the participation of marginalised groups (specifically females, perceived ethnic minorities, people with disabilities) in sport creating a more inclusive culture; 4) Increase the amount of individuals trained in preparation for expansion across all border areas.