Common Goal and the 1% pledge
Launched by streetfootballworld with Juan Mata in 2017, Common Goal asks footballers, coaches and clubs to give 1% of their earnings to football charities.
Eleven years after it organised the streetfootballworld festival 06 in Berlin, the streetfootballworld network launched an idea aimed at the richest part of the game: professional footballers. It was called Common Goal, and it asked players to give away one percent of their salaries.
What the pledge is
Common Goal is a pledge-based charitable movement for the football industry. Professional players and coaches commit at least 1% of their salaries to a collective fund, and that fund supports football charities around the world.
According to its founder, Jürgen Griesbeck, who also founded streetfootballworld, the aim was to build “a sustainable and lasting connection between the football industry and social change”. Rather than one-off donations to single causes, the pledge creates a steady stream of money for community football organisations, decided collectively.
Juan Mata goes first
The movement was launched on 4 August 2017. Spanish midfielder Juan Mata, then at Manchester United, announced his pledge in an article for The Players’ Tribune and urged other footballers to join him. He described Common Goal as the most effective and sustainable way for football to deliver long-term social impact on a global scale.
Who followed
The list of “firsts” in the following two years shows how the idea spread from players to every part of the game:
| Date | Who joined | Why it mattered |
|---|---|---|
| 29 Nov 2017 | Aleksander Čeferin, UEFA president | First football leader to join |
| 18 Jan 2018 | Moya Dodd, AFC executive committee member | Joined the management committee that allocates funds |
| 21 May 2018 | FC Nordsjælland (Denmark) | First club; staff and player contracts include the pledge, with an option to opt out |
| 30 Aug 2018 | Banco Santander | First UEFA Champions League sponsor to support it, focused on financial inclusion |
| 5 Oct 2018 | EA Sports | Put Common Goal into FIFA 19’s story mode and donated $200,000 |
| 17 Jan 2019 | Manchester United Supporters’ Trust | First supporters’ trust to pledge 1% of membership fees |
| May 2019 | Aivi Luik and Alex Chidiac | 99th and 100th players, bringing men and women to an equal ratio |
| 23 Sep 2019 | Jürgen Klopp | First Premier League coach to join, announced at The Best FIFA Football Awards |
Why 1%?
The figure is small on purpose. One percent is low enough that a young professional can commit to it, but because it is a share of salary rather than a fixed sum, the fund grows with the game. And because the money is pooled, the decision about where it goes is taken by people who know the field, not by each player’s agent or PR team.
The link to 2006
Common Goal grew out of the same network that brought 22 youth teams to Mariannenplatz in 2006 and that built the Football for Hope centres with FIFA. The organisations Common Goal funds are, in many cases, the same kind of organisations that sent teams to Berlin, like the Mathare Youth Sports Association.
FAQ
What is Common Goal?
A movement launched by streetfootballworld in 2017 in which footballers, coaches, clubs and others pledge at least 1% of their earnings to a fund for football charities.
Who was the first player to join Common Goal?
Juan Mata, who announced his pledge on 4 August 2017.
Can clubs and fans join?
Yes. FC Nordsjælland was the first club (2018) and the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust the first supporters’ trust (2019).
Who founded Common Goal?
Jürgen Griesbeck, the founder of streetfootballworld.
Conclusion
Common Goal turned a simple number into a way of connecting professional football with the community projects that most fans never see. Its official site lists current members and funded programmes. For the wider picture, read about sport for development and peace or browse the streetfootballworld section.