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“I WANT TOMAKE GIVING BACK A PART OF FOOTBALL, HELP FOOTBALL FEEL GOOD ABOUT ITSELF AGAIN.” Serge Gnabry, Bayern Munich & Germany National Team launched his “I Promise School” to provide a safe space for in-depth learning of youth in his hometown in Akron, Ohio. James is not a Common Goal member, or even a footballer, and his initiative mentions nothing of the Global Goals. In language, the school may seem com- pletely distant from the message of Common Goal, but it can be assured that they are very much in parallel, and at the bare minimum, complementary. The two years of Common Goal and 100+ members of this global movement signify not only the gradual growth in awareness for collective action and respon- sible sportsmanship beyond the pitch, but also the increasing opportunity for football to make a break- through as a vehicle for social change. Of course, for NBA superstars like Lebron James or tennis all-stars like Roger Federer, the unifying thesis that sports can power development and overall goodwill can be enough to prove the point. Quoting Common Goal Founder, Jürgen Griesbeck, “football is the only social phenomenon ca- pable of mobilising on the same scale as the problems we are facing in the world today.” The sport is simple. It can be played just about anywhere with anything — a can, a gravel field, and maybe two shoes for a makeshift goal. This can breed talent be- yond any environmental circumstances. The industry is growing in multiple dimensions, spiraling into different niche sectors with one common denominator: a black and white patterned ball. With the growth of the sport, the industry has included the likes of Youtubers, illus- trators, marketing agencies, magazines, video games, and other creatives. The surge in the football industry not only equates to the success of a new economy, but also paves the way for the rising potential of football to break through as an effective, accessible, and promising approach to changing the world, with the metrics, ideas, and people to power it. As a result, the promise of Common Goal is marked by the ability to create an encouraging team committed to pioneering on the same path of meaningful change, whether it is about the growing number of youth who can access education, equalising the number of opportu- nities between boys and girls, or providing communities with clean drinking water, the movement is truly for one Common Goal. That takes us to the present day. After two years, the initiative stands at over one hundred members and over one million Euros allocated to football for good causes. But what about in five years? Or ten years? What does success look like then and what is stopping others from joining now? 8 9 FOOTBALL FORGOODMAGAZINE | AUGUST 2019