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There was much to celebrate as, on 4 th August 2019, Common Goal marked its second anniversary. Only three months before, the movement reached a 100 players-and-managers milestone, which made inter- national headlines, connecting 100 individuals to the football for good sphere, collectively pledging €1.2 million, with members representing 34 countries, and 50/50 gender parity. This noteworthy gender balance reflects the growing significance of the women’s game globally and underlines the trailblazing actions of the sport’s pioneering women. As the Women’s World Cup completed another successful summer tournament, the momentum to solidify gender equality in football had truly kicked off. Shortly after the 101 st member was announced, the movement quickly set its sights on the next mile- stone: celebrating two years of driving progress towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals — from advancing gender equality to promoting greater peace, justice and strong institu- tions in various regions. The movement officially kicked off on 4 th August 2017, as fans gradually found the narrative around football beginning to change. A significant contribution to this was arguably made by the Neymar transfer deal, when the Brazilian footballer signed on to Paris Saint-Germain for what was, at the time, a world record sum of €222 million. The headline sparked a call to action, rekindling in footballers the idea of not only paying it back, but also paying it forward — to include the livelihoods of the very same fans who cultivated the culture of passion and prosperity for football players worldwide. It was at this point that Manchester United midfielder, Juan Mata, published a piece in The Player’s Tribune recognising the disparities between football in the sta- dium and football in communities around the world. The game hadn’t changed, but the perceptions of it had. In his article, he voiced a rallying cry to show the world the power of his beloved sport, unveiling the collaborative initiative of Common Goal. Mata, along with co-found- ers, Jürgen Griesbeck and Thomas Preiss, then launched Common Goal as an initiative of streetfootballworld, an HAPPY BIRTHDAY BY KAITLIN WONG accessible outlet for both footballers and football for good organisations to collaborate in empowering disadvan- taged young people and their communities through a combination of football and informal education. “ONE OF THE FIRST LESSONS I LEARNED IN FOOTBALL IS THAT IT TAKES A TEAM TO ACCOMPLISH YOUR DREAMS. WE LIVE BY THIS MANTRA ON THE PITCH, YET WE DON’T SEE IT ENOUGH IN THE SOCIAL SPACE. COMMON GOAL IS CREATING A COLLABORATIVE WAY FOR FOOTBALL TO GIVE BACK TO SOCIETY.” Juan Mata Common Goal has undeniably gained significant ge- ographical ground, reaching from as far west as the Canadian Women’s National Team members to as far east as Japan National Team player Shinji Kagawa, and everything in between, including Nigeria’s 2018 Female Footballer of the Year, Onome Ebi, and Juventus’ Italian Captain, Giorgio Chiellini. It is no doubt that the initi- ative’s success is complemented by the diversity and horizons of those who have pledged globally. Alongside the journey of accomplishing this mission, the embedded implications of Common Goal have slowly surfaced: on the individual level, footballers could hold themselves accountable to being good athletes both on and off the field, displaying genuine sportsmanship. Likewise, athletes augmented dimensions of themselves beyond their jersey number, taking on the roles of com- munity builders, equity pioneers, and global citizens, as a part of something larger than themselves, their teams, or their countries — a common goal. Nonetheless, this is not about Common Goal as a brand, but rather the theme and movement that Common Goal represents as a larger extension of the relationship be- tween sports and development, namely in the football industry. There are plenty of actors and organisations who have echoed the same sentiments of Common Goal’s key messaging, that may not be Common Goal members. However, as mentioned before, this is not about a brand, it’s about a movement which includes anyone who is ready to commit to positive change through collective action. For instance, NBA star forward, Lebron James recently 7 6 FOOTBALL FORGOODMAGAZINE | AUGUST 2019