Soccer teaches valuable lessons beyond how to dribble, pass, shoot and defend. FIFA pursues ambitious goals to reduce racism and to improve nutrition for athletes. The international governing body of soccer also works to achieve sustainable social development and to improve the lives of young girls through sport. And Karol Wojtyla, later to become Pope John Paul II, played goalkeeper for Jewish and Christian teams alike in Poland. The young goalie, known as being both courageous and kind, appeared to have drawn on lessons from soccer later as pontiff. On the individual level, soccer can provide unexpected learning and inspiration.
Sport as a Way Up
In addition to FIFA's efforts to have soccer be a positive force, major professional soccer teams donate uniforms to Third World countries, such as London club Arsenal's donations to Benin and Uganda. "Children in poor villages and neighborhoods become big fans of a team" through such outreach, notes Wes Harvey, former coach of the men's soccer team at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland, "and this helps them have a world perspective on things. Just like the NBA does with American kids in cities, this gives a kid from a poor neighborhood a way out, an international perspective, a knowledge that the wider world is bigger than the child's current world."
Cultural Insights
Soccer teams provide an avenue to understanding the political and cultural roots of an area. F.C. Barcelona, for example, has a Catalan cultural identity, whereas Real Madrid represents Castilian-speaking Spain. Glasgow splits between Celtic, followed by Roman Catholics, and Rangers, with their Protestant fans. In Latin America, teams may be affiliated with the army or a political party, whereas in Italy, Lazio was dictator Mussolini's favorite team, Harvey observes. "When you are learning about soccer teams, you are also learning about the cultures. These are things you would not learn first hand following for example traditional American sports," he says.
Necessity of Teamwork
Soccer teaches you "that you can't win alone, you have to cooperate with others to win," Harvey states. "It teaches you that you can work with people from other countries, other cultures that speak different languages, you can cooperate." Soccer also stresses fair play and sportsmanship, with captains exchanging a handshake before the game at the recreational level and team pennants at the professional championship level.
Anyone Can Play
Soccer has built-in advantages over other sports. "No one body type is required for success," writes Ronald B. Woods in "Social Issues in Sport." You don't have to be tall or heavily muscled, and the skills required of a beginner are modest -- just be able to run and kick the ball at the beginning. Players get good exercise, learn balance and kicking skills and enjoy camaraderie with teammates. Girls and women can excel at soccer, with Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy and Brandi Chastain the faces of U.S. women's soccer. Soccer also serves as an avenue of progress for women in nations including Nigeria and Ghana, which field extremely competitive teams in the Women's World Cup.
References
- FIFA.com: Campaigns
- FIFA.com: 'Goals for Girls!' campaign launched
- FIFA.com: Football for Hope
- "Pope John Paul II"; Tad Szulc; 1996
- Stand Up for Africa: Thanks Arsenal!
- Wes Harvey; Former Men's Soccer Coach, Morgan State University; Baltimore, Maryland
