Our sustainability approach

As a reconciliation project, the Open Fun Football Schools programme is characterized by having a beginning and an end. International funding does not last forever. But to ensure sustainability is not merely a question of financial means i.e. reducing international contributions while at the same time increasing the local contributions and decreasing the involvement of Cross Cultures. Sustainability must be seen in a more complex context. In our point of view it is not sufficient that the Open Fun Football Schools programme becomes financial sustainable if the activities and structures left behind are only catering to the talented boys of wealthy parents sharing the same ethnic, political or social background. A discussion of sustainability must also take into consideration the meaning, ideals, values and mission on which the Open Fun Football Schools programme builds.

  

In order to evaluate the success of the Open Fun Football Schools we are, therefore, using a Triple Balanceapproach. This means we monitor and
evaluate our project in relation to three areas of concern, which are “Social responsibility”, “Civil society action” and “Organisational structure”. The triple balance approach reflects the fundamental functions of the Open Fun Football Schools by including what we label the blue, the red, and the green balance sheet.

 

 

 

The red balance sheet (the social responsibility) reflects our core values, which declare that the Open Fun Football Schools should be run so they are open for all regardless of talent, gender, social, political and religious background/differences and in a way that stimulates social responsibility in the local football clubs.

 

The green balance sheet (the civil society action) reflects our core values and mission stating that the activities of the football schools and the material assistance rendered to the clubs (sports equipment) serve to stimulate the development of an active and peaceful civil society, where the various stakeholders can freely engage in mutual interests, bond and interact.

The blue balance sheet (the organisational structure), finally, reflects our
mission to ensure that the Open Fun Football Schools programme becomes financially sustainable. The schools are run by a local democratic and transparent organisation. We succeed to root our ideas among local politicians and authorities in order for them to take ownership and responsibility for the continued activities of “Open Fun
Football Schools” while in conformity with the meaning, values and ideas
inherent to the schools. The education/competencies of our key personnel
meet the requirements to take on successfully new demands and challenges.

 

Consequently, these three parameters must be given due consideration as early as possible in the development process. Also it is important to 

highlight the interrelatedness of the three dimensions i.e. we cannot

organise multi-ethnic football schools (“the red balance”) in a new country without 1) establishing a local office (“the blue balance”) which can organise the daily activities of the project, and 2) provide training of
voluntary leaders and coaches in our specific fun football concept (“the green balance”). Nevertheless, even though the sustainability dimensions are mutually interrelated, we also acknowledge that we have to tune-in our efforts in each individual partner country we operate in to accommodate local characteristics and circumstances.

 

In order to build sustainability into the programme, the overall guiding principle for the involvement of stakeholders, partners and sponsors in the Open Fun Football Schools programme is to get “as many parties as possible engaged and have them contribute as little as possible”. In other
words, our aim is to have all engaged parties to contribute just enough to fund the planned activities and, equally important, maintain their commitment to the programme.