Football to change masculinity roles

Purpose and goal

Working with a diversity of stakeholders from Sweden, Brazil, Mozambique and the United States through the project Football for Transformed Masculinity Roles, we have led a strategic innovation process to develop an innovative, norm critical and participant driven leadership training that empowers boys´ football coaches with the knowledge, practical tools and motivation to break destructive and restrictive masculinity norms and promote an open and diverse understanding among boys and young men of what it means to ´be a man´.

Results and expected effects

Starting in 2016, we will implement the training with boys´ football coaches throughout Sweden in order to develop role models and community leaders that actively work to transform existing masculinity norms as well as attitudes and behavioral patterns among boys and young men with regards to gender, sexuality, sexual health, violence and other critical issues, beginning on the football field - and onwards in life.

Approach and implementation

To lead a participatory innovation process with such a large and diverse group of stakeholders - including Swedish boys´ football coaches, Swedish, Brazilian, Mozambican and American researchers and practitioners as well as Brazilian coaches, sports teachers, workshop facilitators and teenage boys - has been profoundly rewarding and a central factor in our ability to develop a deeply norm critical, innovative and ground breaking training method, at the same time as this has required substantial coordination and great flexibility from us.