Celebrating the World Cup’s first woman referee
Despite the controversy surrounding this year’s World Cup, it may still prove to be an avenue for positive change in terms of gender parity. A woman referee took charge of the Men's Football World Cup for the first time last week, in a historic first. FIFA is eager to highlight how French Read More...
US Women’s Soccer Team wins equal pay
The US Women’s National Soccer Team has won four World Cups, four Olympic gold medals, and last week, in a stunning 5-0 shutout against Iceland, won the 2022 SheBelieves Cup. Last week the team also achieved a victory, not in a soccer match, but for equality in pay. The Optimist Daily Read More...
This soccer club to become the first in the US with a zero-landfill stadium
Soccer games at the Subaru Park stadium in Philadelphia are about to get a lot greener thanks to a new initiative that aims to divert 100 percent of the waste generated during matches away from landfills. Home to the Philadelphia Union soccer team, the stadium produced more than 570,000 pounds of Read More...
Manchester City is the first to offer soccer fans edible coffee cups
Soccer fans rejoice! In many cases, fans have returned to the stands after months and months of empty stadiums. However, returning fans aren’t just thirsty for the thrill of watching their favorite team play in the flesh—they’ll be thirsty for whatever the concession stands have to offer, Read More...
Soccer star Marcus Rashford raises millions to tackle child food poverty
Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford has definitely proved himself as an exceptional soccer player, but more recently, the 23-year-old footballer made headlines for something else — donating millions of dollars to charities dedicated to feeding vulnerable children during the Read More...
Japanese studio designs airless soccer ball for kids in impoverished areas
One of the beautiful aspects of the sport of soccer is that you only need a ball to play, but even that can be difficult to attain in impoverished countries. And even if a ball is acquired, the ball needs to be kept inflated and will eventually deteriorate, especially when used on a rough surface. Read More...
Bitter soccer rivals are coming together to support coronavirus relief
Anyone who watches European football (soccer) knows how fearsome the rivalries between fans and clubs are. But with the coronavirus putting the season on hold indefinitely, Europe’s biggest football clubs are setting aside their differences and banding together to help people in need during the Read More...
AfriGadget: Using African ingenuity to solve everyday problems
What if you live in a slum in one of Africa's big cities and you can't afford to buy a soccer ball? Editors | Jan/Feb 2009 issue Photo: Erik Hersman What if you live in a slum in one of Africa’s big cities and you can’t afford to buy a soccer ball? You make one yourself, of Read More...
Profile: George Weah
George Weah, celebrated as the best African soccer player of the 20th century, is scoring a lot more for than goals for his country.Marco Visscher | September 2004 issue In an era when top-ranking soccer players want to be paid to play for their national teams in World Cup competition, George Weah Read More...
Gloooooooobalization!
What soccer can tell us about international politics, economics and culture. A review of 'How Soccer Explains the World.' Marco Visscher | October 2004 issue Swedish Parliament Member Lars Gustafsson came up with a remarkable nomination idea for the Nobel Peace Prize: soccer. The sport, he Read More...