Vienna celebrates: 15 years of fair play teams for better cooperation!

Vienna celebrates: 15 years of fair play teams for better cooperation!

Wien, Österreich - On April 28, 2025, the Vienna Fair Play teams celebrate their 15th anniversary. During this time, 55 employees in 16 districts of Vienna are committed to improving the social climate in public space. With a clear goal in mind you work in teams of 2, mainly in the afternoon and evening, to reach people of all ages. Last year they were able to produce over 92,000 citizens' contacts, whereby the contacts were evenly distributed among adults as well as children and adolescents. This valuable work is visible through its special clothing, which she characterizes as part of the fair play team: T-shirts, backpacks and jackets.

The employees are trained to act non -violent and convert stately conflicts into opportunities. Long -used approaches to conflict mediation and dialogue funding are the order of the day for these teams. For example, creative solutions such as whisper fences were installed in ball game cages to defuse tensions in public space. On the occasion of the anniversary, several district events are planned to focus on the commitment of the fair play teams. These include a pump track race in the Donaustadt and a play street in Ottakring.

background and challenges

The foundation of the fair play teams cannot be seen by chance, but is in the light of the social challenges of recent years. The public space is increasingly in the focus of media and political discussions, with perceived dangers such as ethnically motivated conflicts, violence or social inequalities. These developments also have an impact on social work, which is under increasing pressure to take on clearer regulatory tasks and to defend the right to stay for their clients, as social space.de explains.

A forerunner project, the "Kover" initiative, was launched in 2004 to convey conflicts in public space. In 2010, the first seasonally temporary fair play team project was launched, which aimed to preserve and improve social qualities in public spaces. Since then, the work of these teams has further professionalized, in particular with the Fair Play team 11 (FPT11), which has been active all year round since 2013 and has developed its own structures.

work in public space

The fair play teams pursue a community-oriented approach that is based on the needs of the residents. The employees have discussions with users of public space, document concerns and thus create a kind of bridge between different social groups. However, they are not responsible for the design of the public space, but act as an intermediary and contact person. This role requires continuous reflection and adaptation to the changing needs of their clients.

In the context of social work, the visibility of the fair play teams is to be viewed both positively and negatively. They face the challenge of clearly define the communication of their objectives and at the same time deal with the stigmatization of socially disadvantaged people. The discussion about the role of social work in public space remains highly up -to -date and requires the participating innovative approaches to conflict management.

A more comprehensive understanding of current situations and challenges about social work in public space as well as the development of effective methods is also discussed in the book "Streetwork and looking for social work in public space", edited by Marc Diebäcker and Gabriele Wild. Various contributions are compiled here that address the legal and social framework and the challenges in practice. This work complements the understanding of the fair play team in Vienna and illustrates the need for a well-networked, socially committed approach in public space.