Adidas has struck up a deal with Juan Mata’s Common Goal charity, including a pledge to donate 1% of its global net sales from footballs until 2023.
Common Goal wil team up with the Adidas Football Collective, the brand’s purpose platform in football, with the aim of growing football communities around in a promise to fight racism and discrimination, power gender equality, foster mental well-being and promote LGBTQ+ inclusion.
The hope is that over the next three years, the collaboration can positively impact 90,000 lives and make the game more inclusive for all.
In particular, there are four key projects highlighted that the partnership will focus on: Global Goal 5 Accelerator, helping girls have opportunities to develop their potential; Anti-Racist Project, working to end racism in football; Play Proud, making grassroots football more inclusive for LGBTQ+ communities; and Global Goal 16 Impact, empowering young people to shape their communities and play a key role in creating peaceful and inclusive societies.
Adidas footballs are used for Champions League matches, World Cups and the Euros – with a new silver Adidas Unoforia ball revealed for the Euro 2020 semi-finals and final earlier this week.
Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata founded Common Goal in 2017 with a commitment to give 1% of his salary to a fund that would invest in high-impact community organisations that use football to empower young people.
Since then, it has become a collective fund that has grown to almost 200 players and managers, including Serge Gnabry, Pernille Harder, Paulo Dybala, Timo Werner, Casey Stoney MBE and Jurgen Klopp. To date, over €3M has been generated by the movement and invested in football-based charities that support the United Nations Global Goals.
“I’ve been a part of the Adidas family for many years and with Common Goal from the very beginning, so this collaboration is very special,” Mata said this week. “This partnership will help us to use football as a force for good and come together to try and tackle social issues as one.
“This is really only the start. For me, team play is the most important thing and through solidarity, empathy and effort, I believe that anyone can reach their goals. Our ambition is to make Common Goal the biggest football club in the world, where everyone is welcome.”
