In 2019, in Lyon, football witnessed a historic moment. As the FIFA Women’s World Cup came to a close, a full stadium echoed with chants of “Equal Pay.” It was a powerful public call for change, symbolising a growing global demand for gender equity in football. Not far from the stadium, another crucial moment was unfolding. Alongside the 2019 Women’s World Cup, Common Goal and Sport dans la Ville hosted Festival 19, which included the Equality Summit — a landmark gathering of the football-for-good community. The summit brought together leaders from across the sector to reflect on shared challenges, exchange ideas and explore collective solutions to advance equity in and through football. This moment of collective reflection revealed a critical gap. While many Common Goal organisations were already advancing gender equity through their own programmes, they lacked the shared resources, insight, expertise and collective identity needed to address gender inequality at a systemic level. In particular, organisations grappled with how to provide equal opportunities for girls and how to understand and respond to the factors that led to their gradual disengagement from football-for-good initiatives. At the time, the football-for-good community was not yet equipped to meaningfully contribute to Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality as a collective force. This realisation laid the groundwork for action. Thanks to the contribution of athletes and partners who pledged 1% of their earnings to Common Goal, the organisation was able to invest in funding priorities that mattered most to the football-for-good community. This collective commitment made it possible to take a bold step toward addressing gender equity in a structured, intentional way. In March 2020, the Global Goal 5 Accelerator was launched as a pilot in East Africa, bringing together nine organisations from five countries. This marked the beginning of a shared journey — one rooted in collaboration, learning and systemic change. From there, the initiative continued to grow and evolve. In 2020, adidas Breaking Barriers was launched in Europe, reinforcing momentum around gender equity in football. In 2021, the Latin America chapter of Equal Play Effect was launched under the name SOMOS Equidad, powered by a group of Colombian athletes who were part of Common Goal. As the movement expanded, regional chapters were launched in Africa, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East in 2023, each adapting the framework to their local context while remaining connected to a global collective. Over its first five years, Equal Play Effect unlocked more than €8 million in funding, enabling organisations around the world to embed gender equity into their structures, programmes and communities. What began as a moment of reflection alongside a World Cup has grown into a global initiative driving systemic change across football-for-good ecosystems worldwide.