Football Therapy with Survivors of Torture

Football is increasingly used as a community-building and therapeutic activity. The community projects at professional football clubs demonstrate the value of football activities for young people experiencing different health and social difficulties. There are also strong reports of football as a potentially useful tool for enabling torture survivors to build relationships, manage emotions and reconnect with their physical bodies. This chapter is about a therapeutic football group run at Freedom from Torture in the UK in collaboration with FC United of Manchester. It gives the reader an insight into rehabilitation through football as well as a practical guide to the important features of setting up and running a group. The therapist and football coach partnership is shown as central to the group.

Positive outcomes are discussed in relation to the specific activities and therapeutic aims of the group coordinators. Particular attention is placed on creating a safe environment in which enjoyment and cooperation rather than competition is fostered. Sessions are structured to include overt therapeutic goals as well as football coaching, and strong modelling of a calm approach to balance the high adrenalin and conflicts inherent in a strenuous contact sport.