Sunday 10th July - the Football For Future team travelled to Battersea Park in South West London, to attend The Kick Off with Spirit of Football. The location was chosen to honour the spot where the first ever official game of FA Rules football was played in the year 1864.

Spirit of Football are a non-profit group who have established the legend of The Ball by organising the journeys of this very special football from England to every World Cup tournament. It’s like football’s equivalent to the Olympic Torch, making an epic trip around the world and bringing people together along the way.

The initiative brings attention to the community of diverse projects working in places along The Ball’s route and emphasises the role football can play in social change and development. FFF are very happy to join Spirit of Football as their education partner. We co-developed the ‘Football Under The Microscope’ module - an educational resource that allows participants of all ages and abilities to reflect on their own match-day experience and to understand the interrelationship between football and climate.

Designed to make climate change more relatable and inspire people to take climate action in their everyday lives, this module will be delivered worldwide as The Ball travels to the next tournament. This year The Ball is setting off from England while the Women’s Euro competition is under way, and for the first time ever, The Ball will be travelling to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 in Australia and New Zealand and NOT to the Men’s World Cup.

FFF co-founder Elliot Arthur-Worsop:

“It was fantastic to see FFF trustee and player champion Katie Rood kick off this exciting project and be the first signatory of The Ball. It felt like an historic day playing football on the 20th anniversary of Spirit of Football’s journey, professionally facilitated at the birthplace of modern football association rules. This was also an historic event as it marks the first time Spirit of Football has focussed their campaign on climate action, and we feel privileged and honoured to be supporting them on this important journey.”

Spirit of Football founder Andrew Aris:

“With 3 billion fans football is the ideal platform to promote global climate action. SOF with fantastic partners like FFF are combining all our complementary approaches to reduce the impacts of climate chang all the way from London to the women’s World Cup in Auckland in July 2023.”

Photo Gallery

Here’s a gallery we will keep updating with photos from The Ball’s journey, and from the delivery of our climate education workshop along the way. The photos begin at Battersea Park, on to Leyton Orient’s Breyer Group Stadium the next day, to Dortmund, to Beşiktaş J.K. and onwards…

Photos by Salomon Benrimoh / Spirit of Football