Syria’s Hope League Uses Football to Bridge Divides

In Syria, the NOVACT NGO launched The Hope League, a children’s football league in cities including Raqa, to foster unity among Kurdish, Arab, and Christian communities, even including children of former Islamic State members. The project aims to rebuild trust after nearly 14 years of conflict that fractured Syrian society along religious and ethnic lines.

Parents, some of whom previously feared interaction with families from opposing groups, now participate alongside their children, creating new relationships. The league operates in four Syrian cities and in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, supported by the Barça Foundation and local organizations.

Instructors received training from ex-FC Barcelona player Oleguer Presas on using games to teach cooperation and conflict resolution. Organizers report overcoming initial resistance, such as parents hesitant to allow daughters to play on mixed teams or children from detention camps refusing to interact with others.

Hanan, a mother who lived in the Al Hol detention camp, shares that her children, after experiencing extreme conditions, are learning to trust and interact with others through the program. While acknowledging the deep-seated fear and trauma, participants hope the league will lay the foundation for a more peaceful future.