Here’s a look at some of our latest tees, hoodies, and beanies.
ONELOVE co-founder JRV was asked to paint over some offensive writing on a wall outside of our studio in New Hampshire. The photos represent a day-long art project. If you visit the wall, take a step back and you’ll see just how far the ONELOVE network reaches. Visit one of these places and you can expect to find a game. Rock some ONELOVE gear and you can expect to play.
The Champions League group stage begins in about three weeks and we are scouring the ONELOVE community for predictions, opinions, and irrational arguments surrounding the upcoming round. To get the ball rolling, we caught up with OLFC West teammates Darren Davies and Cameron Araghi.
Davies, an LA area club coach, says: ‘Chelsea will win it (slight bias). They’ve been together, relatively unchanged, for three years and they have depth. Barça could win, especially with the addition of Villa, and Real is pretty damn serious. Picking up Ozil was huge. And then Mourinho has the formula for success.’
Cameron Araghi, another ONELOVE Ambassador, chimes in: ‘I always say Barça. They have the statistics. They have an attack-minded forward in Villa and if Mascherano signs, they will be the best team on earth. I see Real Madrid doing very well this year, but they will fall short in the major tournaments. And I may be wrong, but something tells me that Rafa is going to ruin Inter.’
What do you say? Who will surprise us this year? Who will disappoint?
The group stage fixtures will take place in September (14/15, 28/29), October (19/20), November (2/3, 23/24), and wrap up in early December (7/8).
As the clock winds down for voting on Nike and Ashoka’s Changemaker competition, we want to get all ONELOVE representers acquainted with love.fútbol. They bring HUGE credibility to the ONELOVE community and right now they need our votes.
click here to cast your vote!!!
Check out the video and read the Q&A to get better acquainted.
LF World Cup Fundraiser Video from Sean Mattison on Vimeo.
What is love.fútbol?
love.fútbol (LF) is a Washington, DC based registered non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization that partners with impoverished communities worldwide to build simple, safe soccer fields for at-risk youth. We envision a day when all children will have a safe place to play soccer.
Since 2007, we have built six fields in diverse ethnic, socio-cultural, and demographic regions of Guatemala. Our seventh field, in the community of Juil, is under construction, and we are currently raising funds for an eighth field, to be built in San Antonio Palopó.
Why soccer?
Across the world, youth face great challenges to playing soccer. They run barefoot in trash dumps, chase balls through sewage and dodge cars in the streets. They play on prohibited land at night when there is enough moonlight. They are desperate and determined to play the game they love.
In their efforts to play they are often injured and, in some cases, killed. Less easy to see, they become frustrated and lose interest in the game. In impoverished communities, where sports are often are the sole escape from the daily struggle with poverty, a loss of interest in athletic pursuits often leads to involvement in gangs and increased rates of drug and alcohol abuse.
love.fútbol fields ensure that children have access to a safe place to play soccer, which is a catalyst for hope, inspiration and personal development. The game teaches these children the teamwork, discipline, communication, and leadership skills they need to escape the poverty cycle.
What makes love.fútbol unique?
1. We believe in play
At love.fútbol, we believe in the power of soccer. A love.fútbol field is a safe and dependable outlet for youth to play and express their passion for the game. The opportunity to play can be the difference that keeps children off the street and on a positive life track. When youth play soccer on a love.fútbol soccer field, our mission is realized.
2. We empower communities
love.fútbol mobilizes communities around their own soccer field projects. We provide financing for raw materials and guidance, while communities organize the project, donate the land and volunteer all labor. The project is in the community’s hands and, as a result, locals have complete ownership. A completed love.fútbol soccer field is more than a place to play – it is a lasting and tangible symbol of community strength.
3. love.fútbol is a means, not an end
A love.fútbol project is a value-added opportunity and a platform for future development. Our fields are a significant community achievement that unifies locals and generates momentum that can subsequently be rechanneled toward new endeavors or harnessed by other organizations. Once our fields are complete, our coalition partners – other social ventures and sport for change organizations – engage the community and continue the latter’s development process using the love.fútbol soccer field as a platform for growth.
What is next for love.fútbol?
love.fútbol is currently working with our seventh community in Guatemala, and we hope to break ground on an eighth field before the end of the year. With the 2014 World Cup on the horizon, we plan to expand into Brazil in time to showcase our work during that tournament. Further, we expect to use the 2014 World Cup as a springboard to expand our operations throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.
How can I support love.fútbol?
There are many ways to get involved with love.fútbol, and a number of actions you can take on our behalf.
We are currently finalists in Nike and Ashoka’s Changemakers “Changing Lives through Football” competition. We are honored to be one of twelve contestants vying for the grand prize – $30,000. The public decides the competition winners by online voting – please help us get out the vote and win!
You can vote here until the competition closes on August 18th. Once you have voted, please browse the comments section and check out our video and photos to learn more about our work!
Outside of this competition, we are currently raising money to fund our eighth project. Contributions of all sizes will help make an immediate difference in the lives of underserved youth in our partner community of San Antonio Polopó. To make a tax-deductible donation, please send a check payable to love.fútbol to PO Box 11056, Washington DC, 20008 or make a secure donation online at www.lovefutbol.org.
For youth team coaches and players, we have recently piloted the love.fútbol for All Team Challenge, a movement for and by the global soccer community to provide right to the game to all youth. Teams interested in learning more about how they can support the construction of love.fútbol fields should contact love.fútbol for All Director Geoff Miller at Geoff@lovefutbol.org
We encourage everyone to follow love.fútbol on facebook and twitter. Also, be on the lookout for the launch of our new and improved website, coming this fall!
Soccer is the world’s game, and love.fútbol’s vision is to address a global demand. We hope you will join us in our efforts to provide all the world’s youth a safe place to play the Beautiful Game.
Teams representing 64 countries will converge on Rio De Janeiro in September for an event that has transformed the lives of some 30,000 homeless people from around the world. Our latest tee, “ORDEM e PROGRESSO” was designed by JRV as a nod to the host country. All profits go directly to the HWC.
Professional skateboarder and ONELOVE baller/ambassador Dan Murphy, Recording artist Dedan Kamisu (courtesy of iHart Photography), and ONELOVE representers Maria Govoni and Andy Donatello are all shown here modeling the shirt which is OFFICIALLY on sale. You can find it at select retailers and in our online store.
A million thanks to ONELOVE Ambassador Chandrima Chatterjee for bringing our organizations together.
…and here for the women’s cut!
We have until August 18th to help our friends at Love.Fútbol in the Nike Gamechangers challenge. Click below to learn more.
Berhalter scraps with Benzema – Photo Cred: Alex V.
Celebrating Dunivant’s goal – Photo Cred: Alex V.
CR7 – Photo Cred: Alex V.
Arbeloa opens up for Casillas – Photo Cred: Alex V.
by Yoni Ginsberg
Futbol is nothing without the little guy. That hometown team, or small nation which achieves immense success without Manchester City’s bankroll or Real Madrid’s players. Turkey during the ’06 World Cup, Uruguay this year, as well as various small clubs that succeed in European competition. For me, that little guy is everything. Hapoel Tel Aviv, my small hometown club.
Although considered by its fans in their chants as an “empire” we are but a small Israeli side with a few known players (Ben Sahar and Nigerian keeper Vincent Enyeama) and a small budget. Therefore, when we won the domestic double last season, we celebrated. We celebrated hard. We were automatically placed in the second qualifying round in the Champions League in which we met Željezni?ar, a small Bosnian team, whom we quietly demolished 6-0 on aggregate. However, next came a tougher challenge – FK Aktobe, the Kazakhstani champions.
In the first leg of the two leg tie, we were beaten 1-0 in Kazakhstan from a penalty that was awarded for a hand ball in the area. Although we were favorites to move on to the next round we had a difficult task ahead of us- beating a team that would come to Tel Aviv to play defensively and try to protect its one goal advantage. On Tuesday, we achieved that task and have positioned ourselves one step closer to playing against teams like Chelsea and Inter Milan. And we did it in style. 
Playing in a sold out Bloomfield Stadium, the Red Devils came out strong scoring 3 goals in the first half. Eran Zahavi, Ben Sahar (ex Chelsea, QPR, and Espanyol), and an own goal by Aktobe’s Ba all contributed to my teams excellent first half showing. Sadly, the second half wasn’t as exciting with Aktobe scoring their only goal of the match in the 89th minute.
This game is more than just a small step forward for a tiny club. This victory guarantees that the club will receive in excess of 20 million New Israeli Shekels ($5 million) which for such a club is a huge sum of money. In the playoff round, one before the group stages and Hapoel’s next round they will be drawn with teams like Partizan Belgrade and Red Bull Salzburg. Hopefully my little hometown team will achieve big league fame and glory. 1L!
by Alex V.
Here’s a bit of footage from Saturday’s training session at UCLA.
It’s hard to say who will make the starting XI, but we’re seeing plenty of attention paid to Angel di Maria, CR, Pepe, Higuaín, and Lass. Kaká is expected to be out there today, and we hope to see Iker, Ramos, and Xabi Alonso.
The jury is out on Benzema, but we can confirm without any shred of a doubt that the French-Algerian striker is in TOP form.
by Philip Cramer
(ONELOVE Ambassador)
The word ‘Ayoba’ has murky origins but what is known is that it originated in South African townships, originally used to express appreciation of good dancing, something that runs deep in the veins of South Africans. The best description I have seen uses the word ‘awesomeness’, even though that word cannot be found in any dictionary.
June 11th in Joburg – Photo Cred: Alex V.
South Africa’s hosting of the world’s premier sporting event is about to come to an end and ‘Ayoba’ fits perfectly. That was the last thing the world expected four years ago after Germany in 2006.
South Africa’s high crime rate was the main issue but other questions remained. Would the stadiums be ready? Would there be enough accommodation? Would the transport system be a disaster and the attendance numbers pitiful?
The barrage of negative publicity was relentless, especially in Europe and the U.S. It reached levels of absurdity. The German team were considering bulletproof vests for their players, and an English tabloid hysterically cataloged the list of some of the world’s most dangerous snakes that were lurking around the English team’s rural base, just waiting to short circuit their World Cup hopes.
The snakes didn’t have to bother—not that there was any real danger to begin with—as England managed to self destruct without any outside assistance.
It reached a point where even optimistic South Africans began to doubt themselves.
Estimates of foreign visitors were cut down from a high of about 450,000 down to 300,000, which would have been a disaster.
All these fears have turned out to be totally misplaced. Crime has been minimal, most of which has been dealt with speedily by an enhanced police presence and swift justice in special World Cup courts.
The world class stadiums were all ready on time as was the transport system and accommodation has been readily available.
Attendance will be over three million for only the third time in World Cup history, and the post final average attendance will be just under 50,000, exceeded by only two other tournaments. The four largest stadiums which hosted almost half the games have approached full capacity. Bear in mind that attendance at the games is determined by tickets used, not by tickets sold, as is the custom for American major league sports.
Most important has been the welcome and support given teams and tourists alike by the South African people. For them, hosting the World Cup is a miracle, or as the always effervescent Bishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize winner, described it, “a fairy tale come true.”
A mere two decades ago, South Africans were still living under the throes of Apartheid. The racist system made political violence an everyday reality with no end in sight.
That all changed in the early 1990’s as Nelson Mandela walked to freedom after 27 years in prison. Mandela’s freedom led a new ‘Rainbow Nation’ out of the darkness.
Today, South Africa stands at the threshold of being finally accepted. Not only as an example to the world on how to move resolve conflict, but as a nation with the wherewithal to successfully host the World Cup
South Africans of all colors united behind their beloved Bafana Bafana with even more fervor than they did in 1995 at the Rugby World Cup. Despite being eliminated in the group stage, their fans lost none of their fervor throwing support behind ‘Baghana Baghana,’ as they called the Ghanaian team in their quest to be the first African team to reach the semifinals.
Even their tragic loss at the final hurdle as not deterred the nation. There is a renewed sense of pride, evident when Nelson Mandela became President. While many questioned the sanity of spending over $4 billion on the Cup, that sense of pride and the positive image from hosting the tournament is worth so much more.
As the competition has progressed, more fans have flocked to South Africa. It’s now expected that the number of visitors for the soccer will top 500,000, far more than previous estimates.
On Monday, South Africa will return to reality. It’s country still plagued by crime, poverty, a dreadful AIDS epidemic, a lack of decent housing and an infrastructure that needs a lot more work.
For millions of black South Africans, life has improved little from the rigors of Apartheid. But many others have prospered when previously all the doors of opportunity were completely shut.
The foreign visitors will all be heading home with vuvuzelas packed in their luggage, and memories of a beautiful land and an expansive and gracious people. These visitors will no doubt spread the word about this bountiful land at the southern tip of Africa.
As a former South African who spent the first 25 years of my life during Apartheid, where fear and anger ruled, I look on with pride and more than a little bit of Aboya.
There is talk now of South Africa bidding to host the Olympics in 2020 or 2024. After the World Cup, there is no reason to doubt their ability to host such a major event and this time the fear mongers will find no traction for their skepticism.
Read more from Philip at Irritable Liberal Syndrome!
by Marc Roseblade
The European champions, Spain, have joined Netherlands in the World Cup Final on Sunday after defeating Germany 1 nil in Durban tonight.
Carles Puyol’s 74th-minute header was enough to secure La Rojas a spot in their first ever FIFA World Cup final.
No matter who wins at Soccer City on Sunday, history will be made.
Tonight, Joachim Low’s men (minus wunderkind Thomas Muller) were unable to repeat the displays with which they swept aside England and Argentina in previous rounds. Once again, the Germans suffered a semi-final defeat.
This was Spain’s first World Cup semi-final and Vicente del Bosque’s side dominated possession from the start. Spain had dropped Torres from the starting eleven. Instead, Pedro Rodriguez had his first start of the finals and made a mark early on as he slipped a through-ball to David Villa after just six minutes. Despite a solid finish, German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer made the save.
In the 14th minute, Spain had a corner where Iniesta drove in a cross that eventual goalscorer, Puyol met with a flying header that flew over the crossbar.
Germany who were happy to play deep in their own half, continued to counter-attack when Podolski played in Ozil on the left before he brought Klose into play on the edge of the box, but the Bayern Munich forward was crowded out.
Spanish keeper Casillas needed to be alert on the half hour mark when he turned a 30-yard daisycutter from Trochowski by the post.
Germany called for a penalty on the stroke of half time when Ramos looked to have brought Ozil down in the box, but the referee waved play on.
The second half began with Alonso driving a shot narrowly wide from 25 yards, then Villa bent another attempt just wide of the post. Pedro was next to try his luck as he made the German keeper Neuer make a fingertip save. As Mertesacker moved slowly to clear the rebound, Iniesta leaped on the opportunity to fire in a low cross that Villa just barely missed.
Casillas had to make another save on 69 minutes as German sub Kroos side-footed an effort at goal, but it was at the other end that the all-important goal was scored. With 16 minutes remaining on the clock Xavi fired in a corner that was met by the flying Puyol, and powered his header past the diving Neuer.
Pedro could have finished the game off in the final minutes when he and Torres burst through the German defense with a 2 on 1 assault. It looked as though Pedro would set Torres up with his first goal of the tournament, but the young Barca striker held on too long. In the end, Spain won.
We now look forward to history being made as a new name will proudly appear as FIFA World Cup Champions 2010. No one could argue that these two teams deserve to be at Soccer City on Sunday.
The only question that needs answered now is, Will it be La Rojas or the Oranje?
read more from Marc at My Scottish Football!
