Jürgen Griesbeck is the founder of streetfootballworld, The Third Half and The Game of Our Lives. He co-founded Common Goal with Thomas Preiss. They believe in using football as a force for social good and as a means for systems change and seek to use the sport to encourage people to create a more sustainable and equitable future for all.
The start of their work came about after the murder of Andrés Escobar. The football player was shot dead in Medellín after he scored an own goal, causing his team to be eliminated from the World Cup. Griesbeck was so shocked by this senseless killing that he turned to football as a source of conflict resolution. Common Goal mobilises the football industry to pledge a minimum of 1% of all revenues to drive progress towards the United Nations Global Goals. The organisation also encourages high-impact organisations to create a community that uses football to support the well-being of people and the planet, inspires football figures to embed purpose in the core of their work and identifies opportunities to inspire and enable football fans to contribute to the goals. Anti-racism, climate action, gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights are among the issues they seek to improve.
Bibliography: https://www.common-goal.org/About https://www.weforum.org/people/juergen-griesbeck