Inter Campus and Erasmus University Rotterdam

The magic of sport helps children all over the world to get to know themselves and others through football, while also having fun on the pitch. But are there any techniques that influence the development of social relationships during training sessions?

This week, the Erasmus University of Rotterdam took a closer look at the scientific foundations on which friendships are built: shared experiences and common interests are the starting point, the cue that triggers the desire to open up; conflict prevention and resolution are more important among boys, while for girls, loyalty, intimacy and esteem are important; learning to trust and rely on each other is important for everyone. These are just some of the aspects discussed during the five days of theoretical and practical work that also involved other European clubs, such as Werder Bremen, Charlton Athletic, Hibernian and Feyenoord.

They came together to develop specific training and exercises following a new teaching methodology, aimed at facilitating the interaction among players, so that training is not just physical activity, but a real opportunity to get to know each other and potentially make lifelong friendships.