streetfootballworld Founder and CEO Jürgen Griesbeck recently visited the headquarters of Sony in Tokyo to present the Street Football Stadium project, a new initiative between streetfootballworld and Sony that will support football-based educational programmes in local communities across Latin America and Brazil.
Jürgen met with Kazuo Hirai, President, CEO and Representative Corporate Executive Officer of Sony Corporation and Shiro Kambe, SVP, in charge of Corporate Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility of Sony Corporation. Jürgen addressed an audience of 100 Sony employees, speaking about the use of football to create social change, and how this project will work to promote the concept in Latin America.
Safe spaces to play and learn
For years, many community organisations in Brazil and Latin America have been developing programmes that address challenges in areas such as peacebuilding, gender equality and health. However, these programmes are often limited by social issues that exist in the region, such as violence, street gangs and poor sanitary conditions.
On the occasion of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™, streetfootballworld and Sony are jointly launching the Street Football Stadium Project as part of their official partnership during the event. Fourteen Brazilian and Latin American grassroots organisations–many of which are members in the streetfootballworld network–will be provided with stadiums to run their educational football programmes.
The stadiums are portable, mini football pitches that can be set up anywhere to create instant, safe places to play and learn. The stadiums will not only provide safe environments for young people to play, but also for these organisations to effectively implement their football-based educational programmes. Since they are portable, the stadiums will allow programmes to be delivered even in remote or rural areas.
The project will run for one year beginning in June 2014, with a total of over 14,000 children benefitting from it.
"We are thrilled to continue our work with Sony in building a strong social legacy around FIFA World Cup™," said Jürgen during his visit to Tokyo. "Football is the most powerful tool that we as a global community have to address social issues, and by combining its universal appeal with Sony's unique strengths, we will be able to empower even more young people around the world to change their lives and transform their communities."
Sony’s Dream Goal 2014
The Street Football Stadium Project is part of Sony’s CSR programme, Dream Goal 2014, which is funded by the Sony Group and encompasses joint initiatives with both streetfootballworld and FIFA.
We are delighted to have the opportunity, together with FIFA and streetfootballworld, to engage in these projects supporting efforts to resolve global challenges such as poverty and regional conflict as we approach our second FIFA World Cup™ as an official partner,” says Shiro Kambe. “We believe that the smiles and energy of children and young leaders –the next generation– are the key to overcoming these challenges. The Dream Goal 2014 project draws on many Sony resources, from our products and technologies to the passion and creativity of our employees, and we hope to deliver truly memorable experiences to children, that have the potential to transform their lives.
For more information about the Street Football Stadium Project, check out Sony's video below, or contact Bert Meijers.
