love.fútbol

Vital Stats

people helped6000
People Doing It 16

The Problem

Around the world, children are fighting to play the game they love. They play in trash dumps and busy streets, dodge cars and wade through swamps to get to their next game. They ignore the indignity of their circumstances but are often hurt – and sometimes killed – by the danger they play in. Less visibly, children lose the positive impact sport has in their lives as they lose access to the game. Sport has the power to change lives – it helps children develop socially, physically, and mentally. Soccer facilitates growth in both individuals and their communities.

Plan of Action

love.fútbol is the only organization, world-wide, that builds safe soccer fields for children through a community-driven approach. love.fútbol staff identify communities where children play in especially dangerous circumstances and don't have access to safe environments for soccer. We engage the communities with the greatest beneficiaries to take on their own soccer field projects, by creating internal institutions (a love.fútbol project planning committee) to plan and execute the project. love.fútbol raises the money to provide the raw materials and technical expertise necessary to complete the project. The community donates 100% of the labor and also the land required for the project. As a result, children have a safe place to play sports and the community emerges with capacities, institutions, and skills that can help catalyze further development endeavors. love.fútbol has successfully completed nine projects in Guatemala and recently expanded to Brazil. love.fútbol plans to complete 20+ projects in time for the 2014 World Cup. love.fútbol was founded in 2005 by Drew Chafetz and his soccer teammate, Alfredo Axtmayer. Drew came across some children playing in especially dangerous conditions in a small town in Morocco, which he visited during a semester abroad. Drew raised money from his friends and family, spread awareness, and implemented the first love.fútbol project in 2007.