Work

Participatory Football and Social Development: Evaluating the Impact of football3 on and Off the Pitch

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT Sport for development (SFD) is a field that leverages sport to advance social development goals. Participatory and sport‐didactical approaches, such as football3, prioritise social outcomes over competitive success. However, evidence of their effectiveness remains limited. This study presents results from a field experiment in Bulgaria, comparing schoolchildren engaged in the participatory football3 method to peers playing traditional football. We assess both on‐pitch and off‐pitch outcomes relevant to SFD, including life skills, social awareness, and school adaptation. Findings show that football3 encourages values like respect over excellence but also increases on‐pitch conflict. Off the pitch, we observe mixed results: modest improvements in school adaptation, declines in some life skills, and mostly no effects on social awareness. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's .

Source: Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology

DOI: 10.1002/casp.70207

Authors: Ruth K. Ditlmann, Louis Moustakas

Institutions: Hertie School, University of Applied Sciences Kufstein

Language: English

Topic: Youth Development and Social Support

Subfield: Safety Research

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,520