"It’s about making a commitment"

Fredi Bobic joins Common Goal

Hertha BSC Sporting Director Fredi Bobic wants the football community to come together and be heard as he becomes the latest member of the Common Goal movement.

The 49-year-old joined Hertha this year after five years at Eintracht Frankfurt and has long been a proponent of driving social change through sport, having been a Laureus ambassador since 2010 and a patron of KICKFAIR.

That role has seen him campaigning for the interests of socially disadvantaged children and young people for many years and, by joining Common Goal, Bobic would now like to work for a future in which professional football contributes to social development as a united team.

And, while he is already playing his part, Bobic says he is delighted to be joining the movement and believes one can always do more to make the world a better place.

“In the locker room there are all cultures, there are all skin colours, all religious communities are together and we can build bridges, we can build bridges to all parts of society and we can also raise our voices because we are also heard,” he said.

“The 1% movement of Common Goal has been on the public radar for a while now - it doesn't have to just be one percent, but above all, it’s about making a commitment to the many great projects that Common Goal implements, but also Laureus does.

“And there are a lot of overlaps, many points of convergence [between Common Goal and Laureus] and to combine these two forces in this day and age is something very positive from my point of view.

“I mean, who's going to benefit? The children benefit and the projects benefit. And to take a lead and say, hey, just do it, you don't just have to do one thing, you can also do the other, I think making this connection means a great added value for both organisations, but also for yourself personally, that it gives you a sense of fulfilment.”

Bobic, who played 37 times for the German national team, is passionate about the impact the game can have on the lives of young people around the world.

“We have been living in times of peace for so long that we can be very happy, but there are other areas in the world where the situation is very, very bad,” he added.

“And above all when you have children yourself, then you just want to see smiling children without any stress. You do not want to see crying children, working children, but [children] who can live freely, who can also try to realise their dreams.

“Every child that you can make laugh, or give the chance to shape their own future and overcome difficult circumstances, is a win. We will not be able to reach everyone, but each and every one [child] is a prompt for us to do all that we can to enable them to make their way in life and if they do so, they can be very proud.”