Ceylon Hickmann invited Spirit of Football and The Ball to Football Beyond Borders HQ in Brixton. “We’re really looking forward to tomorrow. If you guys arrive for 9ish, we can promise some breakfast and general good vibes, with the game kicking off at 9.15 and playing till 10am.” And so it was. Another baking hot day welcomed the Spirit of Football team as we left our accommodation (kindly offered by the University of Notre Dame near Trafalgar Square, London) too late. We were rushing to rent the bikes that would take us through rush hour traffic at a frantic pace to Brixton. There we would also be meeting our USA Ambassadors Karli and Scott Stenger and their 3 children for the much hyped “All-star match-up”. The match was a fun and low-key kick about on another blisteringly hot day in London that reminded us all that the climate is changing. Appropriately, FCC made an organisational climate pledge:
Climate Pledge FBB:
“We have been a successful organisation recently. We have grown massively. There has been a huge amount of interest in our work. The climate pledge that we are making is that all of our investments going forward will be made with green sustainability ideas in mind. We are trying to reduce our emissions by providing group travel to residencies and trips to reduce our carbon footprint.” James Reeves – Football Beyond Borders’ Sustainability Expert
Hannah Baptiste, Educational Assistant at Football Beyond Borders and National Team Player for Guiana
“Something I am very passionate about is diversity and inclusion in the women’s game. I think it is vital, and I think it’s important that young girls have role models to look up to. So that is why I try to support and do as much as I can to try and make a difference in that environment.”
