The One World Futbol Project: Let The Games Begin!

Khartoum, Sudan

Every once in a while, your Bloguero stumbles across something that delights him, that brings great joy and excitement to him, that he just has to share with you. It happened again this week. And the joy is still bubbling inside your Bloguero. This time it's the One World Futbol Project.

Your bloguero found this through Facebook, and this article in the Times. And in this New York Times video.

What is it? It is absolutely brilliant. Delightful. Wonderful. Here you go:

Soccer, known in most of the world as “football” or “futbol,” is the world’s most popular sport, with billions of fans and hundreds of millions of amateur players worldwide. Unfortunately, the traditional soccer ball poses some problems — it can be easily punctured or ruptured. It requires frequent inflation with a pump and needle, which are easily broken or lost. As a result, the phenomenon and waste of deflated soccer balls is a common sight in the backyards of families with soccer players at home. The short life‐span of traditional balls, and the expense of replacing them, means young people in disadvantaged communities are often left to play soccer with rocks, cans, or “rag balls” made from trash, plastic bags, and string.

Our mission at the One World Futbol Project is to make a meaningful impact on the lives of youth around the world through the One World Futbol, a virtually-indestructible ball that never goes flat and never needs a pump. Our goal is to bring the joy of soccer and play to youth in disadvantaged communities so that children can be children no matter where they live.

The problem with traditional balls is obvious. If you play outside on cement, or sand, or dirt, or anything but a groomed pitch from the Barclay's Premier League, the balls die a quick death. The panels fall off. They deflate. They get holes in them that can't be repaired. They scuff or scrape right through. A beautiful ball one minute can be a useless carcass the next. Who can replace the ball when it was donated in the first place? When there's no money, no store, there's no replacement. Even balls made of garbage and duct tape are better than that. Because when they get used up and fall apart, there's always more garbage and duct tape to make a replacement.

The other thing is the cost. You can get cheap balls in the US and other places that last about thirty seconds in play, and you can get expensive balls, costing more than $100 each, and everything in between. But if you're not in the US, or you don't have money, or you're living in poor countries or even in richer countries without super sports stores, it's hard to find a ball, let alone an affordable one. ball. And if you're lucky and you find one or are given one, it lasts only a relatively short while. And then, oof, it's used up and useless and cannot really be satisfactorily repaired.

Enter the One World Futbol Project. And the ball:

Virtually-Indestructible. Unlike any inflatable ball on the market, the One World Futbol never needs a pump and never goes flat, even if punctured. The ball is made using state-of-the-art technology that requires no stitching and is designed to have the same rebound characteristics as a traditional soccer ball. It’s the same size and weight as a standard soccer ball, but it can also be used for netball, volleyball, and many other games.

All-terrain. The One World Futbol is ideal for any playing surface, not just grass or regulation soccer fields: indoors, on concrete, on blacktop, on grass, on a beach, on dirt, or even on a rocky field. The ball can withstand the harshest conditions without deflating.

Sustainability. The ultra-durability of the One World Futbol also helps meet a significant environmental challenge by eliminating the waste of discarded, punctured soccer balls. In Africa alone, 20 million deflated balls make their way into trash heaps every year.

Buy One, Give One. For every One World Futbol you buy through our “Buy One, Give One” program, we give a second ball to children and youth in need through organizations working in disadvantaged communities such as refugee camps, war zones, disaster area and inner cities.

No Child Labor. Many traditional soccer balls are still stitched together by hand by children and adults working under deplorable conditions in Pakistan, China, and India. The One World Futbol is manufactured using state-of-the-art technology that does not require stitching.

Your Bloguero read this. It was clear to him. He said, "I gotta have one of these balls. And I gotta have it right now!" Your Bloguero just loves this. It makes him smile. This the solution to something your Bloguero always saw as a problem.

It was only then in his excitement that your Bloguero discovered the best part. The very best part. The part that has him jumping up and down. The part that inspired this post. It's this: When you buy a ball for yourself or as a gift, One World Futbol donates another one. Let your Bloguero say that yet again with a smile:

Buy One, Give One. For every One World Futbol you buy through our “Buy One, Give One” program, we give a second ball to children and youth in need through organizations working in disadvantaged communities such as refugee camps, war zones, disaster area and inner cities.

Want one or a dozen or a case of these balls yet? Here you go! Buy one, give one.

And that's not all. Check this out! This is just wonderful.

Your Bloguero loves all of this. He asks you to please pass it on. After all, it's the world game, and it's just gotten so much better!!