Hometown heroes: Transforming young lives one pitch at a time

On a dusty countryside road, in a village of just a few hundred people, children gather at the side of a football pitch. Many don’t have much. Some arrive in worn-out shoes, while siblings take turns to wear a sweatshirt. But everyone uses the same football, and when the match starts, any sense of difference disappears. What matters is being part of the team.

It’s a scene that is played out across hundreds of villages across Hungary thanks to the Emerging Settlements programme, known in Hungary as Felzárkózó Települések (FeTe).

FeTe was launched in 2019 by the Hungarian government with the aim of providing opportunities for those living in the country’s most disadvantaged settlements, and is now operating in around 300 locations. Grassroots sport, primarily football, is one of its main tools.

A universal language

For FeTe, grassroots football is much more than a sport, but an instrument to build communities and offer young people consistency and opportunities where previously there was little of either.

"In many places, there was no organised sport before FeTe. No pitches, no coaches and often no community spaces," says Tamás Bőle, the president of the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta, whose Jelenlét (Presence) programme is what FeTe is based on.

The language of football is universal, and it quickly becomes a shared experience, which is why it has become such a valuable part of the FeTe programme. "Many children spent most of their free time without any structure, but regular training sessions brought new rhythm to their lives," explains Bőle. "One or two sessions a week, a fixed time and clear rules… these are all handholds which provide security. The children learn it’s important to be punctual, be responsible and that success requires work."

In many villages, mixed-age sessions encourage inclusion, with special attention paid to 12-15-year-olds, ages at which children commonly drop out of other programmes. Girls’ participation is a natural part of the initiative, in both dedicated and mixed teams.

Sustained community commitment

Crucially, FeTe is committed to long-term presence. The programme employs nearly 30 football coaches, including some with UEFA B licences, who also operate community meeting points and work with local residents.

In many cases, they are children’s first adult role models; people who are consistent, present and set expectations. Their role stretches beyond the pitch. If the weather precludes outdoor activities, football sessions are replaced by discussions, board game sessions or communal viewing of televised football matches. The main thing is connection – for the children to feel that they belong.

That sense of belonging is being reinforced in bricks and mortar, too. In cooperation with the Hungarian Football Federation (MLSZ), 53 small-sized football pitches were built across some of the poorest regions of the country between 2020 and 2024 through FeTe, with 30 more currently under construction.

These pitches are not just sporting hubs. In many places, they have become a town’s centre for communal activities, where weekend events take place, families meet and a previously non-existent community life develops.

From village pitch to national stadium

The FeTe programme has established a football competition system, with matches in villages, towns and cities followed by regional tournaments and annual national finals. In recent years, several participation records have been set, with more than 100 teams from at least 70 locations involved.

The national finals are not just sporting events but celebrations, taking place in prestigious settings – modern stadiums used for Hungarian top-tier professional matches, with a big screen, commentator and crowd. They give the young players a chance to experience being the centre of attention, where their performance counts.

Video messages and visits from professional footballers, facilitated by the MLSZ, add to the sense of occasion and allow the children to dream. "They strengthen the message that reaching the world of professional football is not unachievable, and that behind seemingly distant goals there are real stories of people taking those paths," says Bőle.

Before UEFA EURO 2024, the Hungarian national squad were waved off from the MLSZ’s technical centre by children from the FeTe programme.

"It provided those young people with another experience of a lifetime," recalls Bőle. 

Allowing children to shine

Talent development isn’t the primary goal of the FeTe programme, but there are numerous success stories.

Noel Rómeó Botos grew up in Litke, a small village northeast of Budapest, close to the Slovak border. Children there used to play on empty plots of land without goalframes, but regular football training has taken place in the village since 2021, when the FeTe programme arrived.

"Noel was among the first to apply, and he’s been coming to play football with us regularly ever since," says Teofil Oláh, an MLSZ-licensed coach and regional sports coordinator working with FeTe in the village, with undisguised pride. "He never lets anything stop him coming – rain, wind or cold. He’s developed well over the years, performing better and better."

Noel was selected for the Under-14 FeTe national team, comprised of players from all the settlements included in the programme – who, with the permission of the MLSZ, play matches in the national team jersey, Then, last year, Noel stepped up to the regional MLSZ championship, finishing the autumn season as its top goalscorer.

While stories like Noel’s are certainly inspirational, the true value of FeTe is not in individual miracles but about systemic change. About how, with the right tools, long-term presence and consistent work, it is possible to create opportunity and hope where previously there was none.

The everyday success of the programme can be measured by the fact that 20 to 30 teams – often difficult to manage off the pitch – participate in tournaments in a disciplined, sporting way, without conflict. Through the simple joy of football, they learn to deal with failure and success, and how to function as a community.