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One World Futbol's Eric Frothingham on how they provide indestructible soccer balls for disadvantaged children worldwide
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Hey everybody I'm Julie Banderas and you watch -- box highlights thank you so much for sticking around and -- -- really cool if you're into sports.
And you're into helping others -- -- -- any segment that we do here is all about helping others that this is an interesting an interesting twist to both.
One point five million soccer balls for the world's needy kids.
Kids in places.
In parts of the world that have no toys they have.
Basically nothing but.
Bringing a little bit of sports and play to their lives can make a huge difference.
And in here as an organization.
Called one world football project the air Eric -- him the chief didn't business officer.
Joins me now to talk to us about this.
Your goal here is to get as many soccer balls into these these these.
Into the hands of a lot of people who really really need it wanted to explain to me what your projects all about how did you come -- with this idea.
I Juli thanks.
The ideal originated in what I would call a moment.
Design.
Inspiration.
Our co-founder and chief innovation officer came down again.
Was looking at a video of Darfur refugee kids -- -- rock and pretending it was a soccer game.
And said why can't we make a ball that will work for these kids wherever they are wherever they play around the world.
And from that moment of inspiration for the one world football and one -- football project was formed.
Our goal is to use a variety of channels including -- buy one -- one approach sponsorships.
Direct sales to schools and organizations around the world.
To support all these great organizations.
That are working with kids in education health developments.
And just trying to keep.
The power of play alive -- to make the most difference for kids around the world.
Let's see the kids that are profiting and in benefiting from your donations in your generous donations.
Because that's what really matters most is to see the looks on the kids faces once they receive these balls and look at this little boy this is absolutely adorable and I can speak.
On behalf of a mother -- all you have to do is give a small child a ball and they are completely.
Completely satisfied for hours and days on and and that's giving a child a ball here in the United States.
That has plenty of toys and so the difference you guys can make it in these children's lives is pretty incredible -- we have more pictures to show.
If we could just kind of slide through them.
-- you know with all these -- -- you know holding the ball and playing and so forth tell me about you know the mission and and and I guess.
Why a ball I mean why -- also important.
Well the the power of a ball is.
Universally understood by kids you don't have to explain a whole lot we could you give them a ball they instinctively know what to do with it.
And a soccer ball.
Is closest perhaps to the alphabet for a universal has anyone with a lion by the way right now that.
Yes indeed and that's that's actually we -- sometimes called Triton -- and -- Johannesburg -- our chief product tester.
Because not only kids but animals have a need to engage in play as well.
And with -- We were able to get permission to give a ball into his enclosure in the Johannesburg zoo during the 2010 World Cup.
And what they explained to us is that.
They use soccer balls as engagement tools for the lions and they usually -- on six soccer balls for half hour session.
That's one every five minutes because they get punctured so quickly.
-- -- that -- the ball that you see with Triton.
In that picture from Johannesburg 2010 they are still using in his enclosure today.
So the whole idea is simply to say what's most important is the powerful and the difference it can make for health and development around the world.
And our goal is simply to take.
A product that's designed to withstand the conditions around the world.
Where people are most often playing without a field they're playing an inner cities they're playing where I used to work in a refugee camp.
In Thailand near the Cambodian border.
They're playing in -- for they're playing in all of these places and what they want is an opportunity to continue the game.
You've got a couple of them actually on the table there with you and what do you think of of a soccer ball you obviously think -- the black and white traditional looking soccer ball.
You guys these are a little different then than what we typically see on the soccer -- how are they different.
Well the ball is made of a unique material and I can do a little demonstration -- I had that without messing messing with the you know the camera too much so if you look at this fall what it is is it's actually full sized regulation -- regulation way.
Hollow but we actually are able to demonstrate that you -- -- -- And then it comes back by itself we actually have videos on our YouTube channel of running it over with a truck.
And it's lying flat on the pavement the truck drives away the ball comes back to full round.
So the basic idea is you and you saw that I could actually squeeze it like that.
That means there's already a hole in the ball we have ones with hundreds of holes in them that are still around still bouncing and still in use -- you know these things.
Anywhere around a long time.
Very very much so.
We have we have people who have contacted us from around the world saying.
A ball in my environment usually -- a half an hour to 45 minutes and months or years later our ball.
The one -- football is still -- news -- the power of the great things to sorry go ahead finish.
I was just gonna say one of the great things.
That's happened for us is you mentioned the beginning of the program one point five million soccer balls.
As I said we've been doing our program since July 2010.
Generating balls through sales through.
And it direct.
Purchase for donation and through.
You know I'll buy one give one program.
But at the end of may.
We were able to announce that our founding sponsor Chevrolet -- the Chevrolet covered colored ball.
Was supporting us and producing.
And distributing over the next three years a million and a half balls to projects around the world working with kids.
Where there is no field and were playing and sport are integral to their hopes dreams and opportunities for -- healthier and better life.
So why the power -- talking about the power play how it's so important so.
-- wire play and soccer -- so important to kids and why is it that.
The organization felt the need to to to make such a big deal out of that.
Every human.
And actually it's beyond human spread almost every -- knows that play is fundamental.
Especially when we're young players how we -- to engage with others it's how we learn teamwork it's how we learn -- to deal with.
Are unique sets of capabilities.
And so it has a magnetic power and -- power for kids all across the world.
We have organizations.
That use play as a magnet.
To bring kids together to then be able to have education classes.
Teach them about health issues.
Safety issues.
Conflict resolution etc.
so from a very simple yet fundamental starting point.
The power of play brings kids together and enables.
All sorts of additional benefits beyond that.
So then how do people end up buying them and been in contributing obviously there's got to be a web site for people to learn more.
Tell us about that some people who get involves that are watching.
Yeah thanks so much we have a website at www.
One world football and the spelling is important.
Because we used football at UT BOL percent of Spanish yes.
Yes.
-- you also convey we've got two languages you know our.
Website to convey the international flavor.
And so -- one world football dot com.
And on that say.
We have a variety of different sales programs as I mentioned you can go on into the buy one get one program where for each call you by.
One is donated -- to an organization working somewhere in the world with kids for health and development.
We also have a program that's called just give one or more.
Where you can go on and -- in a sense to donate a ball two on one of the organizations with whom we work and support.
And also as I mentioned direct.
Sales.
At.
Preferred pricing to nonprofits and schools etc.
-- also.
As with Chevrolet were working with a number of organizations.
Who we hope will follow on the leadership shown by -- Chevrolet.
To become sponsors in different ways of our program.
Bring it lost some Eric -- and we appreciate you coming on the chief business officer of one world football project by the way we do you have.
Somebody.
-- Who just wrote.
Brian.
Who is enjoying our segment and saying what a pleasant uplifting show and then noticed the fact that I'm going to be needing another ball around the house sometime soon.
-- about nine months pregnant and apparently he she inside me is very excited about this because there's a soccer match going on in my stomach as we speak.
It's that's an interesting half -- -- -- so thank you very much for coming on but I do know the importance of having.
Any kind of activity sports activity and having balls in your house we have so many.
And every time you go anywhere with a child and they see somebody else's ball they wanted they can never have enough.
So this is a great cause and certainly doing a lot of needy children a lot of good.
So -- if I could just close with we also in addition to our website.
We also have our FaceBook page one world football the -- Twitter.
And -- YouTube channel and if people want to go and look at our YouTube channel we actually have video.
-- -- the lion in action playing playing soccer in his enclosure in the Johannesburg zoo.
We have video of truck running over the ball when the ball coming back to around.
As well as some really inspiring clips that have been sent to us from around the world -- people in different projects.
Who are using the ball to take care kids and their environments.
All right thank you so much we appreciate you coming on air propping him.
Once again it's one world football dot com and it's -- -- few TB -- that's football one.
In Spanish and could there is your website thank you very much thank.
