The Global Foundation for Peace through Soccer

Host Antonio Soave and Guest Host Bacel Al-Sheik in front of the Ummayad Mosque

Spreading Peace & Understanding through the Beautiful Game of Soccer

The Foundation for Peace through Soccer (“The Foundation”) is a global non-profit organization that is dedicated to spreading a message of peace through soccer. The Foundation is officially registered with the Internal Revenue Service as a 501 C 3 not-for-profit organization in the United States. The Foundation’s organizers have been involved in the sport of soccer for over 40 years in numerous countries around the globe. They recognize the very real and profound impact that soccer can have on people and communities around the world. If used properly, soccer can be used as a unifying force; it has been known to be a powerful tool to promote peace and understanding. Soccer is a true passion for the majority of the world’s population and tends to be used to create long lasting friendships and bonds that transcend political, economic, social, racial and religious boundaries. The mobilizing principal is then used to celebrate differences among cultures rather than to disparage and denigrate.

Pillars of The Foundation of Peace through Soccer

The Foundation knows and understands that focus is imperative with such a large and comprehensive organization that works for world peace. As a result, it engages in four primary areas of activity. Those areas are as follows:

a. Advocacy: The Foundation actively lobbies the global community, governmental entities, NGOs43 and soccer bodies in key areas around the world so as to advocate against racism, bullying, and economic disparity so as to promote greater cooperation between and among cultures.

b. Youth Soccer Tournaments: The Foundation will host its first annual youth soccer tournament in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in December 2014. This tournament will be organized under the banner of “peace through soccer” and it will galvanize global support to transcend the boundaries of culture, politics, economics and religion. It will be a true celebration of global peace in a competitive soccer atmosphere. The Foundation will plan to host this tournament each year in the UAE at the same time.

c. Media and Television: The Foundation has been deeply engaged in spreading the mission of peace through soccer since early 2003. It has helped to produce television shows and developed multi-media campaigns, even in challenging environments such as Syria and Israel-Palestine. By utilizing youth soccer as its primary tool for spreading the mission, the Foundation has succeeded in many areas and on multiple levels. Its popular television show, “The Soccer Academy,” has aired in myriad cities around the world.

d. Volunteer Missions: The Foundation began conducting free youth soccer clinics in the developing world in 2006. From the Middle Eastern country of Jordan to the Central American nation of Belize, the Foundation has been deeply involved in delivering its message on soccer fields around the world. In 2020 and 2021, the Foundation expects to lead “soccer peace missions” to Mali, Kenya, and Haiti.

e. International Soccer Fields of Peace: The Foundation is in the process of raising money to establish the very first “International Soccer Fields of Peace” in the State of Kansas. Located in the middle of the United States, metro Kansas City has become a nationally renowned hotbed for youth soccer. The area is rife with youth clubs and teams, and the Kansas City Metroplex now45 hosts some of the most notable youth soccer tournaments in the Americas, including the youth national tournaments at the Overland Park Soccer Complex in Overland Park, Kansas. The International Soccer Fields of Peace would be used to host summer and winter tournaments, as well as to stage clinics and academies that spread the message of peace through soccer. These will become the very first international soccer fields of peace that are dedicated exclusively to spreading peace through soccer.

Media, TV and Cross Marketing

Needless to say, the Foundation has a distinct advantage: television and multi-media. Having an46 affiliation with The Soccer Academy Television Show, the Foundation is guaranteed youth soccer viewership on a weekly basis. This, in turns, helps to drive traffic to the Foundation’s website, as well as to increase exposure for the Foundation and its mission on a global scale. This far exceeds the exposure that most other foundations and organizations can develop and/or afford.