Introduction

Football is played worldwide and its rules are universally accepted. These rules are there to protect those who take part, ensuring the game is played safely and fairly.

How simple would it be to adapt the experience of football to the world and life in general?

We are faced with conflicts that divide and destroy. Our aim is to combat these divides through the global appeal of football, using the game to bring people from different ethnic, racial and social backgrounds together.

While we know that it is not an easy task to install the values needed for a peaceful and tolerant society, we firmly trust in the power of sport to begin to overcome obstacles. We believe that education and development should be a priority in defeating extremism, racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination, to provide a more peaceful future for all.

The football for Unity project began in 2006 with five simple aims; to bring young people together through football, promote unity and tolerance, promote teamwork and youth leadership, engage young people in organising of football, and empower communities.

In 2006 we started to experiment with several events, from high-profile media-covered tournaments between faith and state schools, to local events where the local community joined numerous minority communities. From girls’ tournaments, through to fundraising events, to profile-raising events with politicians and to tournaments of mixed communities engaging the age groups that will become the youth leaders and organizers of future events.

Our principle was simple, to use football and always use mixed teams between schools and communities, so the “team” becomes the defining identity. As a result we will be creating the “biggest team in the world”, FC Unity.

FC Unity will be a global project that will take this idea around the world. It invites countries, cities, communities, organizations, companies and individuals to join and do their part. Bit by bit, we hope to bring the world together through football.

So at this stage, Football for Unity would like to thank all our partners and supporters and everybody who has taken part in the project and its events.

We look forward to the rest 2007 when we hope to count on our partners and supporters, when we take the project (now re-named FC Unity) around the world.

Yamam Nabeel
Football for Unity (FC Unity) and The Game for Peace