Activities / Human stories

In the town where battles with air pollution and youth depopulation are often fought, there is also a corner where every day, quite literally, people are playing a game for the common good. For years, the football Club Breznica has not been just a club. Under Golubinja, in Pljevlja, a bridge is being built across all divisions and prejudices, creating a space where solidarity and togetherness are the basic rules of the game.

Here, girls and boys train, children with disabilities, veterans… all equally important. The members of FC Breznica are an example of how a local initiative can provide a strong response to the pressing problems of the community.

"We know what the prejudices were like just a few years ago. And today those girls play in the Champions League, graduate from university, hold responsible positions, and are top athletes at the same time," says Zoran Vuković, the president of the club. A smile spreads across his face as he talks about former players, now grown-ups, whom he meets in town, and he is proud that Breznica “did the right thing for Pljevlja.”

Tajra, who took her first football steps training with the boys, now passes on the values of respect and discipline to younger players through sport. And Svetlana, the club’s goalkeeper of ten years, knows how much sport can change perceptions - as she herself is proof that strength and dedication know neither gender nor prejudice.

The former captain of the Pljevlja club and Montenegro’s national team player, Miljana Rondović, is now a coach. Her goal is not just for the young players to master the technique - but to grow into responsible people. “Training is also a lesson in respect, discipline, and team spirit,” she says.

And those lessons don’t end on the field. That is precisely why FC Breznica is launching a new mission: A Career Post-Career. This program, to be implemented with the support of UNDP, answers the quiet, often forgotten question: what comes after the team jersey?

The Social Cohesion Innovation Lab, held at the end of March in Pljevlja, was a hub of creativity and collective action. It is a platform for co-creating and developing innovative solutions for strengthening social cohesion through dialogue, developed within the program Together for the Common Good. This program, jointly implemented by UNDP, UNICEF, and UNESCO in partnership with the Government of Montenegro, is funded by the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund, with the goal of strengthening social cohesion by improving citizens’ trust in institutions, as well as building community resilience to hate speech, gender-based violence, and violence against and among children and youth.

Groups of citizens gathered with the vision of designing solutions to strengthen trust, inclusion, and civic participation, developing innovative ideas through a dynamic process of collaboration and experimentation. During two days of intensive work, participants tested their concepts, explored new approaches, and refined ideas through interactive sessions, practical exercises, and constructive discussions. The Lab was an opportunity to exchange knowledge, get acquainted with human-centered design methodology, and create concrete solutions that can have a long-term impact on the community.

The central part of the event was the final presentation before a panel of experts made up of representatives of the United Nations Development Programme and the Municipality of Pljevlja. Each idea was evaluated based on its innovativeness, sustainability, and relevance to the themes of the public call. Among the proposals, FC Breznica’s idea stood out as particularly powerful. Coaches Zoran, Miljana, and Alen were awarded a grant for an innovative model that brings former athletes back into the game – as coaches, mentors, and drivers of community spirit.

Former athletes face an identity crisis, a sense of having lost their place, all accompanied by a difficult economic situation. Through this program, they will get the chance to find purpose again - as coaches, mentors, and a support system for young people, especially children with developmental disabilities. They will be included in seminars, mental health will no longer be a taboo, and they will pass on their knowledge – in local schools, on sports fields, and in joint matches with parents and children.

The culmination of the program will be a sports festival held near one of Pljevlja’s industrial plants - symbolically reminding everyone that the environment must also be taken care of. On that day, matches will be played under the banner of gender equality, equal opportunities, and a healthy future. Thus, football in Pljevlja remains much more than a game - it becomes a tool for social change.

“Be an example in your environment. Respect others. Be in solidarity. Play fair,” the whole team conveys.