Vienna's sports teams upholding fair play celebrate a milestone of 15 years.
Spreading Positivity Across Vienna's Public Spaces with Fair-Play Teams
Witness the transformative power of the Fair-Play Teams in Vienna! For 15 years, these 55 hardworking pros have been cultivating a vibrant, inclusive atmosphere in the City of Music's parks, streets, and squares. Operating in 16 districts, these passionate individuals, often seen in Fair-Play uniforms, have secured over 92,000 citizen interactions during their recent tenure alone!
"Public spaces form the heart of our beloved city, and the Fair-Play Teams are the silent guardians that have established a harmonious coexistence here for 15 years. They employ empathy, resilience, and their superior intuition to ensure Vienna's residents feel welcome, heard, and secure," explains Bettina Emmerling, Vice Mayor, and City Councilor for Education, Youth, Integration, and Transparency.
These teams excel in active listening, mediating conflicts, and imparting leisure knowledge. They also forge bonds with local organizations when the situation calls for it. Their conflict-resolution techniques are as groundbreaking as the whisper fences they've integrated at sports cages, fostering a spirit of collaboration and compromise throughout the civic landscape.
Kirsten Popper-Nelvai, project leader in the Education and Youth department, explains, "The essence of the Fair-Play Teams' mission revolves around conversation – talk not just about, but with everyone present in public spaces. You'll find them in environ-ments both green and urban, as they intimately know their surroundings and can skillfully identify a district's unique needs."
Celebrating their 15-year anniversary in style, several district events are planned, including a pump track race in Donaustadt and a play street in Ottakring.
The Fair-Play Teams, linked with Wiener Kinderfreunde, play a pivotal role in fostering social cohesion and promoting a fair and welcoming environment across Vienna. Their key functions encompass:
- Building Social Cohesion: Bolstering an appealing social climate in parks, streets, and squares
- Community Engagement: Ensuring community members engage, feel valued, and their voices are heard
- Positive Influence: Encouraging cooperation and reducing conflicts with their fair play approach
These dedicated teams have left a lasting impact on the city for 15 years, making them an integral part of Vienna's community lifestyle. And their 15-year anniversary celebrations in 2025 highlighted their unwavering commitment to shaping a thriving, cosmopolitan city[3][5]. Beyond their core mission, they often champion other social causes, such as countering discrimination and supporting community projects[5].
- By fostering cohesion in parks, streets, and squares, the Fair-Play Teams have been playing a significant role in the public spaces of Vienna for 15 years.
- Emma Soderlund, a Fair-Play Team member, uses her communication skills to promote outdoor-living and home-and-garden activities, integrating various lifestyle choices in the city's public spaces.
- The Fair-Play Teams, in collaboration with local organizations, are actively working towards integrating diverse neighborhoods and promoting peaceful coexistence in Vienna's vibrant civic landscape.
- The Fair-Play Teams' dedication to integrating empathy, resilience, and intuition into their operations has helped establish public spaces as welcoming and secure environments for all residents of Vienna.
