Fútbol for Good as a Tool for Preventing Youth Violence in Colombia

The World Health Organization has asserted that nations should make it a priority to ensure adolescents have access to places of safety and refuge from violence (WHO 2014; 2018).  This concern is particularly important in nations where high levels of violence exist, like Colombia (Gobierno de Colombia, 2019). The current project consists of three studies that examine the perceptions of fútbol programs influence on creating safe spaces for Colombian adolescents. The first study analyzes the perceptions of ten national fútbol leaders working in Fútbol for Development programs (FFD) who are part of the formal network Gol y Paz. The second study investigates the perceptions of an informal network of thirteen fútbol coaches who work in the streets or at public parks with adolescents in a violence-exposed community. Finally, the third study investigates the impact of Fútbol for Good (FFG) programs by utilizing a systems thinking approach, causal loop diagrams. 

The results show that both programs, led by the NGOs or community coaches, provide socioemotional resilience training and safe spaces. The NGOs connect youth to institutional services and include gender equity in a more comprehensive way than community coaches. In contrast, community coaches have a broader reach and higher youth engagement due to competition activities, such as tournaments.  

​The findings suggest the need for robust collaborations between NGO programs and community coaches to expand the NGOs’ reach and enrich the quality of community coaching initiatives. Despite the dominating influence of gangs, illicit activities, and familial violence, FFG initiatives show promise as a violence prevention tool in at-risk communities, due to fútbol’s capacity to engage adolescents and its cultural significance in the region.  

Major Professor: Dr. Dionne Stephens