Football schools fighting for peace in Syria with the support of Barça

BarcelonaThe Hope League. Not all projects are named in a way that accurately reflects their underlying idea, but in this case, the name is perfectly chosen. The Hope LeagueIt's a project that uses football to unite the neighbors of northern Syria and Iraq, where years of war and religious fanaticism have caused so much damage. "In cities like Raqqa, we've managed to get members of families with ISIS militants to participate in the project, along with communities persecuted by ISIS," explains former Barça player Oleguer Presas. Chasing a ball, boys and girls from a region where hatred between communities and religions has left thousands dead, were creating hope. But in recent weeks, hatred has overtaken their dreams. The Syrian government's military escalation against the Kurdish autonomous region has changed everything.

The Hope LeagueIt's an initiative of the Barça Foundation, the El Cuartel de Sabadell Football School (of which Presas is a member), and other associations such as NOVACT, Un Ponte Per, DOZ International, IDare, and Casa Nostra Casa Vostra. Funded by the Catalan Government through the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation, this project has created six schools, four in Syria and two in Iraqi Kurdistan. "The project began in October two years ago. It's an initiative of NOVACT, a non-governmental, non-profit organization that was working in the area and saw that football could help, because it's a very popular sport. An initial mission was undertaken to find local partners, and it was obviously very well received. The idea was to replicate the model of..." El Cuartel is a project that began years ago in Sabadell and works to make football a space for creating positive values, promoting cooperation over rivalry. "At La Caserna, we have a community-based approach to football. Families are part of the project and manage it themselves, enabling very different families to work together. It's an idea that helps break down stigmas in an area plagued by hatred like that one," adds the former Barça and Ajax player, who has personally visited the area to help implement it.

In July 2025, the project kicked off with summer camps to give the training team experience. These lasted until October, and "after that, the schools began to be established. And the results were very good. They worked quite well. They were quickly grasping the idea of ​​working together, adapting it to their context," explains Oleguer, who was delighted to have a partner like the FC Barcelona Foundation. "The Barça Foundation is a partner in the project and helps us with materials and visibility. Having a partner like Barça is very powerful; it's symbolic. They've helped us a lot methodologically, since they have the program." Sportnet "which they have applied in conflict zones," she adds. "One of the great achievements was parity. Our training team was made up of 50% men and 50% women. Women who become role models for girls, playing football and actively participating in the organization. Women have suffered a lot in that area, and it's not always easy. Up to the age of eight, families are fine with them playing at school, but once they get older, it's more difficult. But progress was being made," she explains.

In any case, in recent days the war has returned. The cannons and mortars roared again, civilians were executed, and cities were bombed. Following the failed talks between the Syrian transitional government and the Syrian Democratic Forces in the Kurdish-majority area, the offensive by the Syrian army and Turkish-backed militias, with the participation of local Arab tribes, has resulted in deaths and even more refugees.

The escalation of violence has led to the temporary closure of the four Hope League community football schools located in the towns of Kobani, Raqqa, Tiberspiye, and Hasakah. The Raqqa region experienced fighting before being captured by the government, and Kobane lives in a new place. Years ago, it was besieged by the Islamic State, and now by government troops that include Islamist mercenaries. "The closure of schools that work to defuse narratives of hate and violence by offering positive alternatives for identity and belonging is serious and worrying news," explains Presas. The very idea behind these schools is to contribute to building bridges between different communities: between Arabs, Kurds, and Yazidis; between Muslims, Christians, and atheists—to try to stop the radicalization of new generations. And they are focusing on the sons and daughters of victims of the Islamic State in an area where this Islamist group gained strength. Hope remains alive, but hatred has forced the temporary suspension of a project that continues in Iraq. The dream is to be able to reactivate it soon in Syria.