C4BF Makes a difference in Kenya

In July C4BF received a request for cleats to help the Aspire Mega Soccer Academy (AMSA) in Kenya. The AMSA is a sports centered charitable organization established to transform the lives of the most impoverished and vulnerable youngsters through soccer and education in Kenya. Most of their participants are orphans who cannot afford to buy equipment, not even shoes to wear to school. This is the kind of challenge Cleats For Bare Feet is working toward overcoming.

In August, we connected with a US representative for AMSA and provided them with 13 pairs of cleats for their team.

Today, we received this letter and photos from the Director of AMSA.

Dear C4BF,  

Thank you so much for your donation of 13 pairs of soccer cleats, and 1 ball.In fact. We don't know how to thank you and if it will ever be enough!
We may not be able to thank everyone who donated these cleats but, please let them know that AMSA youngsters are very proud of them and that they have contributed to a great cause and injected a fresh impetus of hope and self belief into the lives of impoverished and vulnerable youngsters in KENYA.
Before your donation, we only had 5 pairs of cleats that were being shared at intervals among the under 12 years. The players wearing shoes at the beginning of the game would in turn share them at the start of 2 half!
That now, the under 12 years can comfortably play 90 minutes wearing cleats is a big milestone to us and by extension the entire community.

As you can see, we still require cleats, shin guards, even uniforms for the older players. We shall always welcome and appreciate any assistance from you. Attached herein are photos of AMSA children.

We don't even know how to thank you and whether our thanks will ever be enough. The equipment to us is a dream come true! And a miracle! , you are changing many lives here!.Attached are the photos of the youngsters.
May the Almighty Father bless you abundantly and long live cleats for bare feat.

Sincerely ,

Eusebias Francis

It is our great pleasure to have been able to be a part of helping Eusebias, his team, and the AMSE work towards their continued goal of identifying, nurturing  and developing talent both on the field as well as in the classroom. 

We hope to be able to find other ways to provide the participants of AMSE with more equipment in the coming months. 

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Soccer As Social Change?

Obviously, at Cleats For Bare Feet we believe soccer can change lives through giving. In this post I want to explore another relationship between soccer and social change. The one of protest and soccer. All over the Middle-East and Africa soccer is being used as a platform of protest. These protests break the established barriers within the soccer world.

Tear gas. Screaming. Innocence killed. Singing."Tayyip do you know Istanbul United? Since 31 May 2013." This is Turkey. The recent protests that broke out in Taksim Square have been widely publicized for the violence. The demonstrators were trying to stop the “renovation” of the historic, Gezi park, into a shopping mall complex. Originally the protests had an environmental theme, but they then became a more general anti-Erdogan/AKP (the current prime minister and regime) demonstration. It’s interesting that these protests, which will likely drastically change Turkey’s political climate, started with a park. This open green space means so much to the people of Turkey that it could spark such a violent response. 

Fans of rival teams embracing

Now how does this relate to soccer? Other than the park, being used for soccer, the protests have united polarized soccer fans for the first time in 30 years (see report by the Huffington Post). To give you an idea of how much these fans dislike each other, earlier in May a Fenerbahce fan was stabbed to death (report) by two Galatasaray fans after a big game. These are two of the “Big Three” soccer teams in Turkey whose fans participated in the protests, the last being the Besiktas. There is bad blood between these fans to say the least. But somehow the political pressure has reached a breaking point and the fans have taken to working together to bring attention to their cause. “Istanbul United” being their new coalition of fans. "It's very clear that even if Gezi Park (protests) achieve nothing else, they have still brought peace in football," Erten wrote in the Radikal newspaper. "At least for now."

Protesters playing soccer

Not only has soccer played a role in Turkey, but a similar phenomenon happened in Egypt. In fact all over the region soccer can be tied to political unrest. Many argue that soccer can be used to predict social uprisings, and reportedly the CIA regularly sends agents to matches to gauge the mood of a country. Soccer gives people a voice of protest they wouldn't normally have, by using matches the public can express their discontent through what the government labels “hooliganism”. These fans are using soccer as a way to unite their country and prove the strength of their beliefs. Political implications aside, we at Cleats fully support the comradery of soccer fans all over the world. 

Photo Taken by: Piotr Zalewski
The  Hakkari Gucu (or Hakkari Power) practicing in Turkey

However, there is a voice missing in this union. Women are gaining rights all over the Mideast and Africa, but they are far from equal. In Saudi Arabia, women are only now being allowed into soccer stadiums, and must sit in their own separate section. In Turkey, more and more women and girls are playing soccer. (Check them out here and here) Though the sport is growing, the women playing have yet to be accepted by the public. As we know soccer is a huge part of Turkish culture, drawing tens of thousands to matches, but the controversy of women participating has robbed them of a large fan base. Female players in the premier league have been heckled, discouraged, and given little to no sponsorship. This might explain the startling statistic of a NY Times report claiming that Turkey has 798 registered female players to the 230,000 male ones. But it does seem that as the girls gain success they gain popularity and their fan base is steadily growing. Women were among the protesters in Turkey fighting against the regime.You may have seen the woman in red photos. Soccer is being used to break barriers for women all over the world. In Northern Uganda, Girls Kick It! is a program designed to help girls deal with the effects of the civil war through soccer and education. C4BF contributed equipment to in the past few months. 

We will focus on women in soccer more in later posts, but we at C4BF are inspired by this bravery and trailblazing spirit in the soccer world. Soccer is clearly more than just a sport, it’s a language. A way people express their passions and ambitions. Whether it be political change, gender equality, education, or healing, soccer breaks boundaries and brings so many different types of people together.

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Crowdfunding Wrap-up and New Goals for C4BF

First off, we would like to thank everyone who contributed to our crowdfunding goal. Every contribution makes a difference in the long run. Cleats for Bare Feet is focused on the idea of spending imagination before spending money. Our Cleats on the Ground program is a great example of that mentality.

Throughout this campaign, and long before it started, our sponsor greeNEWit has continued to support the C4BF mission so that we can continue to help players around the world play safer and reach their potential. greeNEWit has agreed to continue to help support C4BF for another year as we gear up for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

During the crowdfunding campaign, we learned an immense amount about ourselves. Through discussions with supportive organizations like Sports & Social Change and Coaches Across Continents, we are shifting our goals a little.

Over the course of the next year, we are aiming to collect 10,000 pieces of equipment and distribute at least 8,000 pieces to players all around the world before July 13, 2014; the day the World Cup ends. We have one year to date to nearly double our collections and distributions. We have absolute faith that we can hit this target and beyond.


Just like with the crowdfunding campaign, we will continue to need your support. Get involved in one of the following ways:

1. If you have equipment laying around your home, now is the time to get it to C4BF.
2. If your kids play on a team, spread the word to the coaches, teammates, the league, etc.
3. If you know of someone who needs equipment, send them our way.
4. If you, or someone you know, is traveling abroad and would like to experience social giving, let us know. With enough time, we can find players abroad who are in need of equipment.

Here is our progress so far:

We are also preparing to launch a new aspect of C4BF that will help local (Baltimore/DC Suburbs in MD) soccer clubs actively raise money for their teams. It’s called OUR Teams and the next blog post will cover the opportunity in more detail. Stay tuned.

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Why does C4BF give Cleats and not money?

Something we get asked frequently: Why do you donate cleats when you could just give money? Good question. With money donations we could repair fields, buy new equipment, or hire coaches. Sounds great right? In truth it’s more complicated than that, we have 3 main reasons why we give cleats.

1. Cleats are a solution. By giving soccer equipment we address a clear issue. People all over the world want to play soccer, but they lack the supplies to participate. We gather cleats, balls, jerseys, etc. and send them to places in need. Even on a small scale, this solves the problem, giving one person a pair of shoes gives them the ability to play soccer under any conditions they have to deal with. This is key. At any donation site conditions are variable, there may be a grass field but in a lot of cases the fields look like this:

Photo Credit

Most fields are dirt and many have nails, glass and garbage scattered throughout. This puts players, at risk for infections, cuts, and and other injuries. Giving cleats is a simple solution to all these risks.  We can give protection to players and allow them to play soccer pretty much anywhere.

2. Money is problematic.

Everybody needs, and can always use more, money! That's true, but in our case money has its setbacks. Building a soccer field costs over $20,000, but collecting financial contributions is easier said than done. People are more than happy to give away used equipment, but money is something people struggle to part with. This concept makes cleats, and other sporting equipment, a readily available resource that we can tap. 

Additionally, ensuring that the money is being used to the best possible effect would be very difficult. Our organization is based in Columbia, Maryland. Tracking funds all over the world would be near impossible with our current resources. Not only are we responsible for where the money would go, but we would have to make sure the fields were being built ethically, that workers were treated and paid fairly, that codes were up-to-date, and that building is environmentally friendly. 

C4BF feels that it can make the most impact by putting cleats on the feet of players.

3. Equipment is interactive

Our mission at C4BF has always been to connect people through soccer. Not only do we want to practically get shoes and balls to players, but we want to show people how they can easily affect someone else’s life. A cleat is more than just protection or equipment, it is a common bond. A jersey was once meaningful to a player in Baltimore and can now be given to a player in Senegal who will value it just as much, if not more. These players are now connected through a love of the sport and through Cleats For Bare Feet. It is so easy to help change someone’s life, especially in this global age, and all you need is a pair of shoes and an internet connection.

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A Greener 2014 World Cup:Copa Verde

CopaVerde is a movement that is trying to catapult Brazil into the forefront of sustainable economics. CV was created, by Brazilians Ian McKee and Vicente de Castro Mello, with the goal of bringing innovative and efficient architecture and development to Brazil. To do this, they are utilizing large sporting events like the upcoming 2014 World Cup to spur growth in many diverse areas. CopaVerde as many goals ranging from developing a Brazilian Electric Car to discovering a cleaner alternative to jet fuel.

One of their current projects, that especially interests us, is their EcoArenas. These are LEED certified stadiums and buildings related to the World Cup that will make the games much greener and benefit Brazil in the future. CopaVerde as completely remodeled the Estádio Nacional de Brasília. The transformation is stunning, the almost 40 year-old stadium is now a glittering symbol of what CopaVerde hopes to continue throughout Brazil. Castro Mello was the lead architect on the project and the stadium features many eco-friendly elements. The most visible innovation is the solar panels lining the roof. They will create 2.5 million megawatts of energy. The new design also allows lots of natural light to fill the arena. Castro Mello also incorporated a rainwater collection and irrigation system as well as on-site construction of concrete parts, which reduces fuel consumption and carbon emissions. The Estádio Nacional de Brasília is one of many innovative buildings in Brasília, which is a UNESCO heritage site recognized for its environmentally-friendly and forward thinking architecture.

Before:

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During Construction:

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After:

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Photo Credit

CopaVerde 

is also working to create local eco-friendly projects in the host cities in Brazil. Internationally CV has partnered with the Portland Timbers to host an annual “Green Cup”. The Timbers will play a first-division Mexican team, Monarcas Morelia, to promote their program “Somos Timbers," which promotes Hispanic youth development in the Portland area.

C4BF is always excited to learn about projects like CopaVerde that are using new and creative ways to help the soccer community. If you know of any others, please let us know. 

Connect with CopaVerde at:

Visit Their Website

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CopaVerde

Blog: http://blog.copaverde.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CopaVerde

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152 Cleats, 135 Soccer Balls, 30 Uniforms, 30 Shin Guards - 1 Week!

This week at Cleats For Bare Feet, we connected with our newest ambassador, Devin Walford, originally from New Jersey and currently living in South Carolina. She is headed on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic and will be delivering nearly 50 soccer balls to kids who love to play soccer but lack some of the means to do so. Devin worked with a New Jersey uniform company to have uniforms printed for the members of the "Baston de Moises" team in the Domincan Republic. Afterward, she reached out to C4BF through our "I need equipment" section of our website. We are happy to announce that the shipment left our office on May 21 and has arrived with Devin. It will be living in South Carolina for a few days and then on its way to the Dominican Republic in the beginning of June. We wish Devin all the best and look forward to hearing about her experience with the team, her mission, and with Social Giving. As we get pictures, we will post them.

We also connected with 2 organizations that are based in Washington DC, but do work in Africa. Both organizations stopped by our office this week and picked up enough equipment to supply an entire village with gear.


The first organization, the African Volunteer Football Academy for the Less Privileged (AVFAL) provides soccer training to players, ages 8 - 21, in Cameroon. Working directly with the AVFAL's founder and president, John Kemoe Bengu, and the Secretary General, Ngole Cyril e setup a time to deliver 100 pairs of cleats, 50 soccer balls, 30 uniforms, some socks, and goalie equipment to ship over to the kids in Limbe, Cameroon later this year. Mr. Cyril was so excited when he picked up the equipment, he kept saying, "The kids in Cameroon are going to be so excited about this! You have no idea what it will mean to them."

On Friday, after working together for a few weeks we were able to connect with a member of the Propagand’Arts project and school based in Senegal. This makes our third distribution in Senegal this year. "The people in Senegal LOVE soccer," said Awa Daffe, our contact at the organization and person in chanrge of marketing and partnerships. With her help and connections C4BF will be distributing 50 pairs of cleats, 35 soccer balls, and 15 uniforms to the kids at her school. 

Friday's distribution also marked the first distribution our newest intern, Jessica, was able to participate in. The gentleman pictured was interning for one day as part of his high school graduation requirements. Jae Hoon spent the day helping us inventory items, and preparing the package for Awa to pickup. "That was a really rewarding day." 

That's how we feel most days. We are so pleased to be able to help so many people around the world play soccer safer and to reach their potential. Today we inventoried our 6100th item as well. Quite the first week for Jessica and the one day experience for Jae Hoon. SocialGiving at it's best! 

We're close to hitting our two week mark of our fundraising campaign, if you haven't contributed yet, do so before time runs out. 

CONTRIBUTE NOW!

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UMBC & The Next Generation of Social Entrepreneurs

The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) is committed to educating and mentoring the next generation of the workforce to be “Agents of Change” in their communities. UMBC’s Shattuck Family Internship Program for Entrepreneurship Innovation & Social Change provides selected students with a stipend to intern as member of a start-up for one semester. At the end of the internship, students can apply for seed-funding to support an entrepreneurial venture of theirs.

Andres Camacho and Josh Massey are both students who were selected to be a part of the Shattuck internship program. They have spent the past few months working for Columbia based sustainability company, greeNEWit. In addition to being the state leader in providing household energy retrofits, greeNEWit’s Agent of Change program provides students with an entrepreneurial mindset, both undergraduates and high school students, with mentorship and a supportive environment that encourages interns to develop and flex their social entrepreneurial muscles.

Cleats For Bare Feet (C4BF), a social project operated by the Agents of Change Program and sponsored by greeNEWit, was founded in 2009 with the goal of providing used soccer equipment to less fortunate players all over the world. To date, we have collected over 6000 pieces of equipment and distributed nearly 5000 to smiling kids around the world: The US, Senegal, Cameroon, Romania, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Sudan, Zimbabwe, China, and many others.

As the newest Co-Directors of C4BF, Andres and Josh are working to re-imagine the nature of charitable giving in the 21st century. Last week, C4BF launched a crowdfunding campaign in order to raise the funds needed to create a social media website that connects the following three groups anywhere in the world:

1. People who have second-hand sporting equipment or cleats to donate.

 
2. Players, organizations or schools who need cleats and sporting equipment.

 
3. People who can take cleats abroad while on their travels around the world.

 

The social media web platform will solve the distributive difficulties associated with sending equipment to those in need (it's super expensive!), and it will also re-imagine the typical donation process as a more interactive and enriching experience. Users will be able to track their cleats as they travel the world, discover the impact they are making and connect with others through the love of the game. 

Andres completed the Shattuck program last semester and, thanks to a scholarship from Mayo and Molly Shattuck, will be contributing $1,000 in seed funding to the project. I’d like to give a big “THANK YOU” to Mayo and Molly Shattuck as well as to UMBC, for their support of social entrepreneurship and innovation in undergraduate education. Josh just completed his semester in the program and will be applying for the scholarship from the Shattuck’s as well.

For More information on the Shattuck Family Internship Program Visit the UMBC Shirver Center’s website or read a short release about the 2012 Interns.

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Meet Jessica, our new intern!

We are so pleased to introduce our to our newest teammate, Jessica. She is only with us for a few weeks, while she finished up her last year of high school and heads off to Tuft's University in August. 
"I’m Jessica. I am a senior at Garrison Forest School and will be graduating this June. She is working as an intern at Cleats for Bare Feet for three weeks as part of her senior project. She learned about C4BF through a family friend who works at GreeNEWit. Jessica is interested in studying International Relations and service, so this is a perfect way to learn about real change happening locally. Jessica volunteered in Cambodia last summer and is happy can keep helping children overseas and in the area. I grew up in Columbia and her little sister is an avid soccer player. "I know how much the sport means to kids all over the world and I am so glad to be able to help bring them supplies they need." Jessica also works for her school paper and will be contributing to the C4BF blog."

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C4BF Crowdfunding Campaign coming up! We'd love some feedback before we launch!

Hello Everyone!

Cleats For Bare Feet (C4BF) will be launching a crowdfunding campaign this coming Monday, May 13 on www.Indiegogo.com. We are in the process of finalizing the list of perks and would love your feedback! 

As you may know, C4BF is a student led organization with the goal of getting gently used soccer equipment on the feet of players in need all over the world. We believe in the power of soccer as a means of interacting across cultural boundaries and creating community. We are designing a web platform that will leverage the collaborative abilities of the web in order to connect people who have equipment to donate, players/organizations who need cleats, and people who can take cleats abroad while on their travels around the world. In order to create this charitable social network we need to raise $50,000. The platform will solve the distributive difficulties associated with sending equipment to those who need it and it will also re-imagine the typical donation process as a more interactive and enriching experience. You will be able to track your cleats as they travel the world, discover the impact they are making, and connect with others through the love of the game. This is #socialgiving.

Here is a draft of our current perk offerings:

‪$5 Donation‬

•                Inclusion on the C4BF website contributors page and contributors world map

•                Social Media shout out

$15 Donation

•                C4BF Limited Edition Trading Patch or sticker

$25 Donation

•                The official C4BF Water Bottle

$50 Donation

•                
‪Customizable virtual "patch" of logo, picture, or message‬
(50x50 Pixel) on our contributors page

$100 Donation

•                C4BF T-shirt made by HRBmovement

•                
‪Customizable virtual "patch" of logo, picture, or message (100x100 Pixel) of your choice on our contributors page‬



$500 Donation

•                1 Socket Ball, an energy generating soccer ball. Learn more at: http://unchartedplay.com/

•                Customizable virtual "patch" of logo, picture, or message (200x200 Pixel) of your choice on our contributors page

$1000 Donation: Corporate Sponsor

•                Aarrow Sign Spinning Package: 1 custom sign and 5 hours of professional sign spinning; a $300 value for FREE! (Limit 5 & 60 Mile Radius from Columbia, MD.)

$5000 Donation: Premium Corporate Sponsor

•                Featured Logo on our website (Sponsors page and Contributors Page)

◦       Spotlight on website main page for 3 months

•                Aarrow Sign Spinning Package: 1 custom sign and 5 hours of professional sign spinning; a $300 value for FREE! (Limit of 5 & 60-Mile Radius from Columbia, MD.)

•                *Perk in the making (crossing our fingers): Signed used cleats from a professional soccer player

What do you think?! All feedback is GREATLY appreciated
c4bf@greeNEWit.com

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DC Scores...cleats and smiles

Cleats For Bare Feet not only does work all around the world, we do our best to make a difference in the community in which we live.

Last month we shared equipment with Soccer Without Borders who work with refugees who live in the Baltimore area.

This month we teamed up with DC Scores, an organization that runs after school soccer programs in low socioeconomic areas in our capitol. 42 schools and 1,450 students in total participate in the program.

We were introduced to DC Scores last year and were able to share equipment with them. This past week, we were able to supply two teams with much needed cleats and new shorts.

We met with Mr. Ross at MC Turrell, first, and shared cleats with 5 of their players.

From there it was a quick jaunt up to Adams Morgan to catch up with “Team Awesome” from the Oyster Adams Bilingual School. The Mighty Oyster Adams Student Council (MOASC) has been orchestrating an equipment drive since February. Our first stop by, in March, yielded 131 pieces. While this stop only brought an additional 59 pieces, the MOASC are one step closer to their goal of 250 pieces before the end of the school year.

The kids in the MOASC are exceptionally driven and passionate about helping other kids reach their potential. When we told them that equipment collected in March has already gone to help kids in Senegal, China, Uganda, and in the Baltimore area, they were absolutely thrilled.

Immediately following our collection event with the MOASC, we received a call from Sarah Jennings, the DC Scores coach at Garfield Elementary Prep. Jennings, originally of Massachusetts, is a member of the City Year program and has been coaching the DC Scores team at Garfield for the last few months.

Upon arrival Jennings made an overhead announcement calling all members of the team to the front office. Every member of the team came charging through the halls, getting some sideways glances from one of the teachers. The players sat down, took off their sneakers and we got started.

We are happy to announce that all 15 members of the team got fitted for cleats. While smiling for the camera is something that everyone hates doing, these kids were ecstatic. They had a game at the end of the school and these cleats would allow them play at their top level.

We’re glad to have helped and look forward to hearing how their game went.

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The 2nd Annual Talibe Soccer Tournament

Recently, Cleats For Bare Feet sent three boxes in two shipments to Senegal with a former member of the C4BF Team.  This was the response I received back from the tournament we shared your equipment with:

_____________________________________________________________

This year Peace Corps Volunteers worked with a local counterpart, Aris Faye, to hold the 2nd Annual Talibe Soccer Tournament. This tournament was funded by the US Embassy’s Public Affairs Grant. Talibes are children pursuing a Quranic education. The heartbreaking story of talibes in Senegal isn't just the struggle for the children because they are sent thousands of kilometers away from their home village, or their struggle to reach their daily quota of CFA (local money) before they go home to protect them from a beating, nor is it the fact that these children may not return to their village or see their family members for years. The devastating truth about these talibes, some as young as 5 years old, is that they are forgotten, ignored. People see these children begging on the street and push them aside rather than give them the alms they’re begging for. These children are seen at a nuisance, yet the religion, and their teachers are seen as the “untouchables.” No fault is ever placed on those in charge, just the children. Giving the children an event, concentrating on them, and reminding people these talibes, who are forced to dress in rags, and wander the streets barefoot in search for their meals, eat what is given to them; they are children and they should be allowed to act as children.

This event allowed the talibes to play with regular school children. Peace Corps role was very small in this 2 day event. Thursday the Peace Corps volunteers gave the children something to remember. The volunteers interacted with the children, showing them a part of our American culture. We shared face paint with the children, we taught the children how to write their names (some of the children’s first time holding a pencil), taught them basics about hygiene and nutrition, and the show stopper; an obstacle course. Peace Corps volunteers wanted to make this even more memorable for the children, we collected donations to be given to the talibes as prizes for their participation on the day of the finale, giving the children a real jersey, soccer ball, and cleats. These prizes brought smiles to everyone’s faces! It was a great moment to share with these talibes, explaining people all the way from United States sent these prizes just for the talibes to have. The older talibes took me aside to express their gratitude of the event, and the prizes. Stating the event (however chaotic it got) was “Mash’Allah.”
These are 3 photos my older talibe took of the awarding of prizes. 

                                                                                                 Thanks again,  

Hadiel Mohamed 

_____________________________________________________________

This is what Cleats For Bare Feet is all about. Bringing smiles to children's faces across the world by sharing your old soccer equipment.
We are always looking for more equipment to share, or for people traveling abroad who would like to act as our ambassador and spread the love of the game ever further around the world.

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Baltimore's Soccer Without Borders...hooked up!

Imagine if you had to uproot and move to a new country. You don’t know anyone, you don’t speak the language very well, and, as if that's not enough, you have to go to a new high school. Coming to the United States as a refugee child poses many challenges. In Baltimore, as well as other places both nationally and internationally, Soccer Without Borders is using the soccer as a medium to “encourage healthy living while developing English-language abilities, teamwork, academic success, and cross-cultural skills”.

Soccer is an incredible sport: in every corner of the world the sport carries a passionate following. You can travel anywhere in the world and regardless of language or cultural barriers, as soon as a soccer ball is brought out, you instantly have a way to interact with the people around you. The students that are members of Soccer Without Borders in Baltimore originate from a multitude of countries. Baltimore's chapter includes students from Palestine, Eritrea, Somalia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nepal, Palestine, Cameroon, South Sudan, Nigeria, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Guinea, among others. Although they shared the same challenges coming to America, most of students could not understand each other and many of them did not initially like each other either. However what they all shared was an incredible love for the sport of soccer- or “football” to them.

This is what soccer means in their lives:

C4BF recently stopped by SWB to size up and share cleats with members of the Baltimore team who needed a a pair for the start of the new season. It was great to see the just how universal and upbringing the sport of soccer can be. 



In other news, we are looking to continue to build our SWB connection by having a friendly little match. A C4BF vs. SWB soccer game is being scheduled for later this spring (Andres Camacho from C4BF is an Arsenal fan and has a couple things to settle with SWB's players who are Chelsea and Manchester United fans). "I guess Andres doesn't like winning" said Warshan, a sixteen year old from Iraq. Members of the greeNEWit office will also be joining in to help out the 5 person C4BF team. Should be quite a match! We'll let you know more as we do.

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Smoke Free at the World Cup!

The littlest things can ruin a magical moment.
You’ve been waiting all year to watch this game going as far as pre-ordering tickets months in advance to reserve seats. You traveled all the way to Brazil to support your country in the World Cup. The game is just about to start and you are cheering for the players, wearing your country’s jersey. But as soon as the ref blows the first whistle to start the game, everything is ruined. Right next to you, there’s a man smoking a cigarette. As you inhale to cheer for your team, his smoke, you are both annoyed and scared for your health.

This year’s FIFA Confederations Cup and next year’s
 FIFA World Cup will be smoke-free.

FIFA and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) announced the news on March 7, 2013 in support for a healthy, clean environment for all the fans heading to Brazil to watch the matches.

FIFA has gone through a lot of work over the years to reach this decision.

• 1986 - FIFA announced that they would no longer be accepting advertisements from any tobacco industries.  
• 2002 - FIFA is awarded the World Health Organization (WHO) Director General’s Award for their support in an anti-smoking campaign 
• 2002 - Korea and Japan became the first countries to host the first smoke-free FIFA World Cup.Since then, stricter regulations have been added in order to ensure a completely smoke free environment. 
• 2010 - FIFA adopted the Stadium Code of Conduct which prohibited smoking in the stands. 

FIFA Secretary, Jerome Valcke, comments that, “The decision to make Brazil 2013 and Brazil 2014 tobacco-free is a natural step in the history of our flagship events. FIFA recognizes that tobacco use and exposure to second-hand smoke are harmful and supports WHO’s global efforts with a genuine interest in promoting health and security.”

Valcke understands the big picture. By discouraging smoking, he is not only protecting people in the stadiums but using FIFA's influence to make the world a better place to live in. Because of the way FIFA always has and always try to do what's right, us, fans, can continue coming together to watch and love the game of soccer.

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New Website and Crowdfunding Call to Action

Exciting stuff is happening this week at Cleats For Bare Feet! But, in fairness, exciting stuff is always happening with the C4BF team.

We launched our new website, first and foremost. You can visit it at www.cleatsforbarefeet.com, and you should. It isn't perfect, by any means, but it is a step in the right direction.

The ultimate goal is to create a website that helps us build a community of soccer lovers, whether it be: players, coaches, tournament promoters, the crazy fans, the more subdue ones, and even the girls who watch just to see Cristiano Ronaldo run around. Through that community, bridges and connections can be built to encourage people who have spare soccer equipment to unite with those who need it.

In order to do that, we need some help from you, our dedicated diplomats.

Andres, one of my team mates has posted this video on Youtube to get you to be a part of our crowdfunding video, scheduled to launch late April on Indiegogo.com.

To sum it up, we want you to shoot a short video. The structure is simple. In a fun place (soccer field, city overlook, soccer pub, your back yard…wherever) record yourself saying:

Hi, my name is _____________.

I’m from ______________, and

I support Cleats For Bare Feet because _____________.

Then answer ONE of the two following questions:

What is a story you want to share with the world involving you and soccer?

What does soccer means to you?

End it some way that is fun and creative.

Send it to us directly at: C4BF@greenewit.com

There aren't many rules, but a few we should mention.

1. Videos should be less than a minute.
2. Shoot it in any format with any you can
3. Keep it clean!

We will be editing them together to post on our crowdfunding page and throughout the 40 day campaign.

We are striving to raise $50,000. I know it sounds like a lot, but continuing to run our program and build a website that will allow us to run efficiently takes some serious time and money. With your help, I know we can do it. 

   

Be a part of our team and show the world the passion you have for soccer and for making a difference.

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The Jersey Swap Tradition

Anyone who enjoys watching soccer has seen the jersey exchange that takes place between opposing players at the end of a game. There is nothing like this in any other sport. But, how did this tradition begin?

Well, it goes back nearly eighty years. The day was May 14, 1931. There was a match held between France and England commemorating the friendship between them. The match was held at the Stade Olympique in Colombes, France. The French team scored five goals to win the game against England, who was considered the soccer powerhouse at the time. As a way of showing the goodwill between the teams, and to make this event as memorable as it could be, France requested the English team members exchange Jerseys at the end of the game.

And since that day, jersey trading at the end of the game has become much more than a simple gesture.

One famous swap took place in 1970 between soccer legends, Bobby Moore of England and Brazil’s Pele after a world cup match. The jersey exchange marked the near end of both their fantastic soccer careers and is regarded as a historic moment in soccer history.

In 1966, England defeated Argentina in the quarterfinals. Alf Ramsey, England’s manager, stopped the jersey exchange between one of his players and an Argentinean player because he believed the Argentinean team had played like “animals.” 

Exchange rituals are freighted with cultural functions, such as reinforcing social solidarity, affirming friendships and perpetuating economic partnerships.” Ellis Cashmore, a professor of sociology, media and sport at England’s Staffordshire University says.

The exchange of jerseys has evolved from a simple sign of good sportsmanship between players to a representation of the friendship between entire countries.

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Why C4BF Chose Soccer

Why Soccer? Of the various sports and activities to choose from, Cleats For Bare Feet chose soccer as it’s main focus.

Why? It’s simple: Soccer is a universal connector; a language of its own.
Support and love for soccer are constantly shown around the world. In the 2010 World Cup, over 200 teams attempted to qualify for the tournament. Soccer is played in every corner of the world and more popular than American football or baseball could ever hope to be.

No matter where you travel in the world, someone there will know how to play. Soccer is one of the few universal activities shared around the world. Everyone speaks it’s language.


Let me share with you a personal story:
This past summer, I spent some time in Spain, a few miles outside of Madrid, in a town called Tres Cantos. I stayed with some friends who lived in the area. My Spanish was... lacking... to say the least. We knew enough to find a bathroom or order food at restaurant. Occasionally, I could string together a few coherent sentences and get through a conversation with a local, but not often. However, whenever I was hanging out with the locals at a pool or in  a park, as soon as someone pulled a soccer ball out, it was like we were the best of friends. We could use our second grade Spanish to count off “Uno, dos, Uno, dos” to make the teams, race to goal posts to see who played goalie. Boom! Right like that, we had something to do for the rest of day.

Spain isn’t the only place where people bond over soccer, it happens across the globe.

 

Our goal at Cleat For Bare Feet is to enable, create, and facilitate these relationships in all parts of the world, especially the parts that are under development.

We chose soccer because it is a common denominator from Seoul to Buenos Aires, and everywhere in between.

Do you have a story like mine? C4BF would love to hear it, share it with us in the comments section below. We’re looking forward to reading them and hearing about your experiences.

Take it easy and would love to hear from you,

Anthony  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

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