Common Goal Announces New Leadership
- Common Goal
- 4 hours ago
- 4 min read
Mary Connor named CEO and George Springborg Chief Community Officer as founder transition comes to a close
Football has always been shaped by how we move forward together.
By the passes we make. The spaces we create. And the people who believe, support and make the game what it is.
Over the past months, Common Goal has been on a journey of transition — one that builds on more than three decades of collective effort to strengthen football’s role as a force for connection, opportunity and positive change.
Today, that journey enters its next chapter.
This transition was initiated by Common Goal’s founders— Jürgen Griesbeck, Vladimir Borkovic and Johannes Axster — with a clear intention: to reimagine leadership for the next phase of the movement, one that is more distributed, more collaborative and closer to the communities at its heart.
As a result of this transition, Mary Connor has been appointed CEO of Common Goal, globally, with George Springborg stepping into the role of Chief Community Officer. This shift toward a unified global team with cross-continental leadership is significant step in a larger restructuring, led by a Board of Directors and supported by a global Advisory Board, to better reflect and serve the global football for good ecosystem.
“This transition marks an important evolution for Common Goal. It is about aligning leadership, structure and purpose to strengthen the movement and keep it rooted in the communities it serves. The vision and dedication that laid these foundations have built a global movement powered by many, and that legacy is not something we leave behind, but something we carry forward with deep gratitude,” said Dr. Christopher Busey, Common Goal Board Member
Having served as Transition Lead, and with more than 20 years in football for good as Co-founder and former Executive Director of Soccer Without Borders, Mary Connor has played a central role in guiding this process — working alongside the community, partners and leadership bodies to shape a more agile and connected Common Goal. As CEO, she will lead the organisation into its next phase, focused on strengthening the ecosystem, unlocking collective action and expanding football’s contribution to a more equitable and inclusive future.
"Football found me before I fully found myself. And it has been the thread running through everything I have done since. It has connected me to incredible people and communities around the world, whose inspired work has shaped my conviction that this game is one of the most powerful tools on the planet to create positive change. My commitment as CEO is to strengthen what has been built, to show up with humility and ambition, and to make sure that everyone who believes football can do more has a home here,” said Mary Connor, CEO, Common Goal
In parallel, George Springborg, with over two decades of experience across streetfootballworld and Common Goal, steps into the role of Chief Community Officer, a reflection of Common Goal’s continued commitment to placing its global community at the centre of everything it does.
“Twenty years ago I was fortunate to be part of the first global gathering of football for good at the streetfootballworld festival 06 in Berlin. Since then the community has grown to include hundreds of organisations, thousands of coaches and millions of young people using the power of football to build connection and create change. The Common Goal community is the home for an incredible group of teammates, who care for each other and the world. Together we have come a very long way and our mission is now more important than ever," said George Springborg, Chief Community Officer, Common Goal
But this moment is about more than leadership. It is about how we evolve.
From its roots in 1994 to becoming the Home of Football for Good, Common Goal has always been a collective effort. This next chapter reflects that same belief.
As part of this process, Common Goal established a transition committee and engaged in consultations with more than 200 individuals from across the football for good ecosystem, including community member organisations, athletes and partners. Their perspectives, experiences and ambition have helped shape the way forward, ensuring that this next chapter is built by many.
With the FIFA World Cup 2026 on the horizon, this comes at a defining moment within football and across the world. At a time when institutional trust is collapsing, conflicts are growing, and young people are navigating a crisis of belonging, football for good organizations are doing some of the most sophisticated social development work on the planet – responding to urgent issues from mental health, to gender equity, to refugee integration, to education, to conflict resolution, and more. They use football as the connecting force because football connects virtually every culture on earth.
Common Goal will continue to strengthen what already exists, to mobilise new resources and to elevate football as a transformative tool for positive change.
This moment also marks an important milestone in the journey started by Common Goal’s founders, Jürgen, Vladimir and Johannes. From its earliest days, their work has been driven by a belief that football can be more than a game. Since streetfootballworld inception in 2002, and later under the name of Common Goal, they have carried this belief with pride and commitment.
“This journey has been shaped by so many people, moments and shared belief. As founders, we look back with pride at what has been achieved, and step into this next chapter with trust in the new leadership and excitement to see Common Goal continue to grow and thrive,” said Dr. Vladimir Borkovic, Common Goal Founding Associate
As the Home of Football for Good, Common Goal exists to connect, strengthen and grow the movement, and to ensure that every young person, everywhere, has the opportunity to play, learn and thrive.
The journey continues. Shaped by many. Led forward together.
Football can. And we will.
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