From 20-24 May 2009 the second European Street Football Festival took place in Foča, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The tournament was organised by the Berlin-based NGO "streetfootballworld" and its network member Football Friends together with the European Commission's Directorate General for Enlargement. It involved 24 teams of girls and boys, aged 14 to 18, coming from over fifteen European countries.

Special Project Manager George Springborg explains more about the event, “Street Football is about bringing young people together from 'development through football' organisations. They come from across the European continent and play together, but also engage in discussion and exchange to learn more about one another and develop their ability to interact and solve differences through dialogue.“
The way Street Football is played encourages this dialogue; teams decide on the rules before each match and are responsible for sticking to them. It’s called Fair Play football. There are also no referees.  "There are Teamers", says George Springborg, "who act as mediators. If there are disagreements a team can call a Fair Play Time Out and bring the two teams together. They discuss what’s going well and what’s not and whether there are players that are not playing according to the rules that were agreed upon. It’s great to see that although the young people are speaking a variety of different languages, they’re still able to do that and that the common denominator is football."

The action is fast-paced with lots of goals and a sweaty, electric atmosphere. Under the blazing sun Paul Herford from UK-based crime reduction organisation NACRO explained more about his team; „We’re based in an area called Kensington in Liverpool, which is an area of high crime and anti-social behaviour,“ he said, „These young people have been referred to our centre and they’re the fifty most at risk young people in the area. We work with them to improve their self esteem.“

With kids from fifteen countries playing in Foča has communication been a problem?

"They’ve been doing great," smiles Paul, "They’ve been doing body language, sign language, a little bit of English. One of the main reasons why we’ve been getting on so well with everyone is because we support Liverpool and, as you know, Liverpool is one of the greatest teams in Europe!"

While fun was definitely on the agenda, there was of course a bigger picture.  "The European Commission, the European Council, are quite abstract for the people here so we bring something concrete to a small town,“ says Boris Iarochevitch from the Delegation of the European Commission to Bosnia and Herzegovina. "It’s a way to promote the EU and its values but it’s important for us to bring the different communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region together.“

On the pitches of Foča it’s football rather than politics which is the main focus. The young competitors are enthusiastic about their experiences. "I’ve learned that it’s easy for me to get on with people who speak different languages. It’s taught me a lot about myself," said one girl from London while an Irish boy added; "I’ve made friends with Romanians, Bosnians, Poles. I can’t even keep count but after this I’m still going to keep in touch with them!"

A girl from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia said; "I’ve learned how to master my emotions and how we can win without hurting anyone,“ and a German boy remarked; "I’ve learned that all nations can play in harmony together."

While fair play and communication were the main messages, all eyes were nevertheless on the final to see who would walk away as Street Football European champions. As the sun began to set behind the stunning mountain range which surrounds Foča, a frantic match drew to a close and Bosnian team Doboj walked away with the winner’s trophy.