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Playing Soccer with Israelis and Palestinians (WHAT?)

As a sports dad, coach and Founder of iSport360, I get to see youth sports from so many perspectives.

But the fact is, on a recent visit to Israel, I brought my daughters to spend a day in a pretty ground-breaking youth program that puts the love of sport before politics, religion, and discord. It has been happening across Israel and in many other places in the Middle East thanks to the Mifalot Education Society of Israel.

But in light of recent world events, I can’t say I ever imagined seeing my daughters play on an Israeli soccer field together with Israeli and Palestinian children… primarily because I never would have expected to see Israeli and Palestinian kids playing on the same soccer field… or any field for that matter.

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But the fact is, on a recent visit to Israel, I brought my daughters to spend a day in a pretty ground-breaking youth program that puts the love of sport before politics, religion and discord.  It has been happening across Israel and in many other places in the Middle East thanks to the Mifalot Education Society of Israel.
 

A Middle Eastern Tradition Worth Borrowing

As this soccer game was about to begin, my daughters joined the mixed teams of Israeli and Palestinian kids who were lining up to shake hands with all of the opposing players before the game. My first thought was “what’s going on here?” But I learned that these players shake hands before the game (rather than after the games like we do in the U.S.) to thank each other for the opportunity to play, compete, improve and test their skills. It’s a tradition I fell in love with as it stood in stark contrast to the obligatory line up for “high fives” after the game when tensions are running high and where we tend to see the worst from “sore losers” and “sore winners” on both teams.

Breaking Down Language Barriers and Gender Barriers

One thing I couldn’t help but admire was that these soccer coaches were calling out instructions in English, Hebrew, and Arabic….talk about coaching under pressure. But the other thing that struck me was that there were no girls playing in this game (besides my daughters).
I learned that there’s a cultural divide and girls in some Middle Eastern communities are not allowed to play soccer with boys. But it lit up my day to see these Israeli and Palestinian boys along with my two daughters competing hard, showing teamwork, celebrating goals together and showing respect to each other. A really beautiful sight to see.

About the Author

Ian Goldberg is the Founder and CEO of iSport360, a SportsTech company helping every coach, player, and parent have a great sports season. He is a thought leader who speaks about solving the pain points in youth sports and helping side-line parents chill out (seriously). Click here to learn more about Ian and the iSport360 app.

About the Mifalot Education Society

The Mifalot Education Society is the largest NGO in Israel and one of the largest in the world.  Founded in 1997 by the owners of professional Israeli Football team Hapoel Tel Aviv FC, they use sport to empower communities and individuals.  I have since learned that they provide sport-based programs to 10,000 kids per year in underserved communities across 15 countries.  It’s said they use the “language of the ball” to bring about social change.  Learn more here.

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January 31, 2022

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