Citizenship through football-based resources
With a summer of football ahead, harness children's passion for the game by using free resources to stimulate discussion related to personal development and citizenship. UEFA have published ten free lessons based on being in a team and winning and losing for the Grassroots Day campaign and European Schoolnet is supporting the initiative. Each 90-minute lesson is, like a football match, divided into two halves. Teamwork topics covered include What makes a great team, Developing and achieving goals, Co-operation and communication, Developing confidence and self-belief, and Respecting and taking care of yourself. Winning and losing topics are Does losing equal failure, Pros and cons of winning and losing, The benefits of rules, Accepting the consequences, and What makes a good supporter?
The lesson plans, in English but easily adaptable to other languages, include activity sheets, classroom ideas and exclusive video clips featuring top names in football. The lessons are set up like a football match, with a warm-up, two 45-minute periods and the potential of ‘extra-time’. It is recommended the class start by watching the related video as the source of a discussion about the theme of the lesson before moving onto the activity sheets and the game, which can either be played online or with a printable version. An example is the video on "See what helps make Cristiano Ronaldo not only one of the world's greatest players, but also a fantastic team player".
In football, just as in life in general, teamwork can often be the key to success. The five lessons offer the basis for classroom discussion and creative thinking that is aimed to improve their approach to working together and teambuilding.
Even the best teams lose football matches so coaches, players and supporters must learn the best ways to deal with failure as well as success. The lessons provide the basis for healthy discussion with the aim of improving the approach and attitude of your classroom towards winning and losing. Learning the best ways to deal with failure as well as success is an important trait every player, coach and supporter should have. The first lesson provides the basis for healthy discussion and engaging activities with the aim of improving the approach and attitude of your classroom towards winning and losing, helping them to understand that defeat does not mean complete failure.
Find out more at Grassroots Day