The football pitch as intangible cultural heritage

On the initiative of the German Football Museum in Dortmund, ‘Bolzplatzkultur’ has been included in the National Register of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Following a multi-stage application process, the Expert Committee on Intangible Cultural Heritage at the German UNESCO Commission recognises ‘Bolzplatzkultur’ as a living, accessible and cross-generational form of expression of urban coexistence, which has been firmly anchored in everyday and leisure culture in Germany for decades. The recognition highlights that playing on football pitches is based on oral tradition, informal sets of rules and processes of negotiation amongst young people, which promote social learning skills, integration and participation. Museum director Manuel Neukirchner: “The football pitch is an open and participatory cultural form, as well as a formative space for socialisation. Here, creativity, spontaneous self-organisation, fairness and assertiveness interact with one another. For children and young people, the football pitch is therefore a small school of life. We are delighted that this outstanding societal and social significance is being given special recognition through the inclusion of football pitch culture in the National Register of Intangible Cultural Heritage.”