Power of the Pitch : Podcast by the UNOCT International Hub on Behavioural Insights to Counter Terrorism

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The “Power of the Pitch” is a special podcast from the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) Behavioural Insights Hub in Doha, Qatar, inspired by the work of the multi-year Global Programme on Security of Major Sporting Events, and Promotion of Sport and its Values as a Tool to Prevent Violent Extremism and delivered in partnership with the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and the International Center for Sport Security (ICSS).

For this 7-part series, we examine how Behavioural Insights are being applied to sports and when addressing violent extremism factors that may be conducive to terrorism. We introduce programmes aimed to prevent violent extremism through sports and its values, and share the personal stories from world-renowned athletes and advocates of female empowerment and inclusivity. We also discuss the powerful role of Sports Diplomacy and take a close look at the innovative policies and practices being used by governments and organizations to ensure that sport remains a safe pastime and profession for future generations. Our guests are behavioural and violent extremism experts, as well as sports professionals who share their experiences, knowledge and inspiration.

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In our first episode, we are joined by Alan Fraser, PCVE practitioner and Director of community partnerships at Cranford Community College in London, United Kingdom who discusses sports as a preventive mechanism for violent extremism.

Alan has developed a variety of programmes and activities designed to reduce the risk of radicalization among young people through sports over the past 10 years and shares his insights on addressing vulnerability and antisocial behavior in young people.

Highlighting that sports interventions are not only for athletes, he also walks us through an example of sports leadership programming that trains young people in sports management, so that they can run sports events and re-kindle their love for the pitch.

The second episode of our podcast features Khalida Popal, one of the founding members and former captain of Afghanistan’s Women’s Football Team.

Khalida takes us on a captivating, sometimes perilous personal journey and shares her story of perseverance, resilience and success against all odds.

We accompany her through the years of chasing her dream - to play sport despite facing discrimination and adversity.

In the process, she has managed to empower and unify new generations of women and girls from diverse backgrounds through her organization Girl Power.

In our third episode, we speak to Dr Simon Rofe, a university lecturer who pioneered the field of sport diplomacy and teaches its only existing course at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in the United Kingdom.

Simon talks about the role that athletes and sports fans play in representing their countries and how sporting events can be used as a platform for communities and leaders to come together at the same time and space when regular political channels may be fractured.

We hear about cricket diplomacy between India and Pakistan; projects addressing communicable diseases in sub-Saharan Africa and how sports played into Qatar’s National Vision 2030 Vision.

In this episode, we are joined by Somali-born athlete Suad Galow, former captain of the national Women’s National Basketball team. Galow takes listeners on a personal journey and talks about her love of basketball and what it is like to be a female athlete in Somalia. Galow also discusses her work providing safe areas for girls to engage in sports and gain an education through a non-profit organization she founded in 2018.

The focus of this episode is the prevention of violent extremism within sporting clubs and through sports events. For this, we are joined by Steven Lenos, Senior Advisor at Radar Europe, whose expertise is in polarization and radicalization. Mr. Lenos explains the impact football club supporter groups have on individual members and outlines how sports clubs, communities, and organizations are vital in providing an environment of diversity, inclusivity, and integration.

In our sixth episode, we are joined by Professor Andrew Silke of Royal Holloway University of London. Andrew discusses sports venue security, including why terrorists target sports venues, the measures in place to deter them, and how the threat has evolved over the past decades. We delve into the role of technology, lessons for the future, and how fans can play a critical role in ensuring security. Highlighting the significant progress in venue security, Andrew notes that sports venues were once considered soft targets but are now considered hard targets.

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