Ethos & Ethical Code
A living, assumed, reflective framework
Founder's Message
Flavius Andrișca
Flavius Andrișca
Founder & Visionary
Radical Football began with a question that kept returning: what does a child actually experience in football?
From grassroots teams to the academies of professional clubs, the environments in which children train and play shape how they grow within the game. What do they feel in those environments? What and how do they learn from them? And what do they carry with them when those years are over?
Over time it became clear that many coaches and parents were asking similar questions. They were looking for something more solid than trends, drills or ready-made answers. Radical Football grew from that shared search. It is a space for coaches, parents and educators who want to build environments that respect how children actually grow and learn. Environments where curiosity is encouraged, development is protected and the rhythm of each child matters.
Because what truly matters in youth football is not how quickly a child arrives somewhere. What matters is how they grow while they are there. And sooner or later, most of us begin to ask the same questions: What are we really forming? What are we supporting? What are we leaving behind?
“Football is the vehicle, but the destination is a stronger, more connected community where every child feels valued and supported.”
🔶 Visible Values
What guides us in our relationship with children, with ourselves, and with those who learn alongside us
Care
Children need rhythm, attention, constant support. Care means being attentive to their state, observing how they grow and adjusting our gestures according to each one's reality.
Reflection
In the Radical Football community, reflection is part of any practice. It's not a separate exercise, but a way of being present in relationships, observing, understanding what we leave behind.
Courage
It takes courage to support what really matters. To stay close to the child without rushing things. To give up methods that no longer work. To start again, with more understanding.
Responsibility
Every gesture leaves traces. The Radical Football community takes responsibility for how it works: in language, in relationships, in decisions, in the form of support it offers to children, parents and coaches.
Radical Football Manifesto
The commitments that guide our work and community
Radical Football is a pedagogical initiative in continuous formation, dedicated to football for children and juniors, regardless of age or level – from grassroots football to professional club academies.
At its center is the child, seen as a living, unique system, in permanent adaptation, who learns through interaction with the environment and experiences lived every day.
The Radical Football community brings together coaches, parents, educators, and football supporters who assume the creation of real learning and development contexts for young players.
We respect each child's rhythm, the diversity of experiences, and the authentic needs they have. We support a healthy, balanced journey free from unnecessary pressure or unrealistic expectations.
Three Fundamental Commitments:
- 1.Learning is born from relationships – between child, coach, team, family, and environment.
- 2.The coach is part of the learning process – involved in shaping a space of safety and individual development.
- 3.Pedagogical culture is built through continuous reflection – with real questions, careful observation, and constant adaptation.
Coach's Ethical Code
The guidelines that guide our work on and off the field
Common commitment to children, assumed by all who coach or have an active role in youth football. Guides an attentive and responsible practice, adapted to the real needs of each child.
Active Listening
I create a space where the child feels safe to express their thoughts and emotions.
Careful Decision Making
I make decisions based on the real needs and context of each child.
Integrating Mistakes
I create an environment where exploration and failure are essential for each player's progress.
Constant Reflection
I analyze my decisions and adapt my approach based on what I observe and learn.
Living Framework
The framework is alive, in continuous transformation, evolving with the practice, experiences, and reflections of the Radical Football community.
Children's Rights in Football
The foundations that ensure a safe, inclusive environment adapted to each child's development
Radical Football actively integrates children's rights into all its spaces and actions. These principles define how we build learning and development contexts in football – from grassroots level to professional club academies.
Right to Voice
Children are listened to and involved in decisions that directly concern them.
Right to Inclusion
No difference in origin, gender, ability or context limits access to football.
Right to Protection
Children benefit from a safe environment, free from abuse, pressure or humiliation.
International Reference Framework
- 📄UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
- 📄UNESCO International Charter for Physical Education and Sport
- 📄International recommendations on child protection in sport
These guidelines are translated into daily actions, on and off the field.
“Every child has the right to play, learn, and grow in an environment that respects them.”
Emotional Break Spaces
Spaces for reflection, vulnerability, and authentic expression
These are not sections of this page. They are spaces in the community - for reflection, confusion, and the moments when the work stops making sense.
Enter the community →