Football for Hope, the result of a collaboration between streetfootballworld and FIFA, won the Philanthropy and Cooperation through Sports trophy at the Global Sports Forum in Barcelona.

streetfootballworld Managing Director Jürgen Griesbeck and FIFA’s Head of Corporate Social Responsibility Federico Addiechi accepted the trophy together.

“This is a very special partnership,” said Mr. Addiechi. “Thanks to this unprecedented partnership between a major sporting association and a unique network such as streetfootballworld, we have built a platform that encourages other organisations, both private and public, to offer their support to the movement and to use the power of football to generate positive social change.”

“We should celebrate the fact that this is an award made in recognition of teamwork,” said Mr. Griesbeck.  “Nothing can be achieved without cooperation and a shared commitment.”

Pointing out some streetfootballworld network members who had also been nominated for awards, he noted that “it is a testament to what they do that we are here tonight.”

Indeed, with eleven streetfootballworld network members nominated for eight awards, the spirit of teamwork was tangible.

The streetfootballworld network
Three streetfootballworld network members took home awards: Play Soccer won the Sport and Education trophy, WhizzKids United was honoured in the category Sport and Health, and The Peres Center for Peace accepted the trophy for Sport and Geopolitics.

Congratulations to all the streetfootballworld network nominees: Kalim Sports Council (Sport and Education), Kick4Life (Sport and Health), Football Friends (Sport and Geopolitics), SEP (Sport and Geopolitics), ACRO Ghana (Sport in the City), Albion in the Community (Sport in the City), CHILD (Sport in the City) and Krida Vikas Sanstha Nagpur (Philanthrophy and Cooperation through Sports).

An invitation to see award-winning work firsthand
Mr. Griesbeck took the opportunity to invite the audience to the Football for Hope Festival 2010: “If you are going to the World Cup, please don’t just go to the stadiums. Try and find time to visit the district of Alexandra, where the main event of the festival will be held and where you will find all the people who are devoting their efforts to bringing about development, and who have made it an integral part of their lives.”

The Global Sports Forum
The trophies recognise remarkable sports-related achievements that reflect the major issues and trends discussed during the Global Sports Forum, an event that highlights sport in all its dimensions: economic, social, political and cultural.