Making football more enjoyable for children in Montenegro
Wednesday, September 24, 2025
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To celebrate UEFA Grassroots Week 2025, we highlight Montenegro’s new ‘Healthy Relationships in Football’ programme, which looks to create a pressure-free sporting environment for the next generation.
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The Football Association of Montenegro (FSCG) and national organisation Roditelji (‘Parents’) have launched a new initiative that places children’s well-being at the centre of the game.
'Healthy Relationships in Football – For a Better Childhood and the Development of Young Athletes’, aims to reduce pressure on young players, support coaches and parents, and ensure that football remains a space for joy and growth.
"Our key goal is to adopt and implement policies that protect and support children and to share them with every football stakeholder," said FSCG general secretary Momir Đurđevac.
"It is vital to provide continuous support to both coaches and parents, so that football truly becomes a space for children’s overall development. With this project we want to ensure balanced growth – not only as athletes, but as people – while preventing and properly addressing any form of abuse."
Educating coaches through parent feedback
Building on FCSG’s four-year grassroots football strategy, the programme brings together research, education and public awareness to address the main challenges that children, parents and coaches face in grassroots football.
Surveys among parents will provide valuable insights into their expectations and concerns, offering a clearer picture of the pressures that young players often feel.
Growing grassroots football across Europe
Based on these findings, the FSGC will develop new training modules for coaches, adopting more child-centred methods, improving communication with parents and creating an environment where talent is nurtured through play and encouragement.
"This new initiative focuses on educating coaches to better understand children’s developmental needs, and on raising parents’ awareness of the importance of a healthy approach to sport," said Kristina Mihailović, Executive Director of Roditelji. "Such an approach contributes not only to sporting success, but also to the psychosocial development of children."
Building a new culture together
Through a series of media programmes and short videos, children will also be encouraged to share their own experiences, challenges and ideas on how to improve football environments.
A nationwide promotional campaign, featuring creative content on social media, is expected to reach more than 100,000 people, reinforcing the project’s central message that football should be a source of joy, learning and growth for every child.
By combining the perspectives of parents, coaches and – most importantly – children, 'Healthy Relationships in Football' aims to improve communication, reduce unnecessary pressures and build a culture in which values matter as much as results.
How UEFA is helping more children play football
Between its launch in 2020 and the end of its first cycle in September 2024, the UEFA Football in Schools programme achieved some incredible numbers across Europe.
7.2 million children introduced to football
111,000 teachers trained
41,500 schools engaged
15,500 volunteers participated
4,400 festivals and events
830 school-to-club links created
55 national associations distributing funding
By 2028, we will have invested €22 million into the initiative, helping children and young people from every European footballing nation to enjoy the beautiful game.