It takes a village…to help a village

These Ghanaian boys were among the first to play with a One World Futbol following the launch of the One World Futbol Project in July 2010. They are among thousands of beneficiaries of Tim Jahnigen’s inspiration in November 2006 — and of the nearly four years of research, development, and planning that followed.

In the development of the One World Futbol, we are especially grateful to . . .

• Sting, for his unhesitating enthusiasm for Tim’s concept, for funding nearly a year of research and development, and for giving the One World Futbol its name.
• Trudie Styler, whose heart, fortitude, and compassion are beacons of strength that have guided us from the beginning.
• Narada Michael Walden, multi Grammy-winning producer, composer, songwriter, and musician, through whose friendship, guidance, and support Tim came to know Sting. Narada is the Godfather of the One World Futbol Project.
• Materials engineer Kevin McCarthy, who worked closely with Tim on the technical aspects of developing his idea into a product—and whose name appears with Tim’s on the patent application.
• The people of Foam Creations, whose faith in the project from the outset and whose generosity in keeping costs low, helped make it possible to complete the research and development process in near-record time.
• John Carmichael, whose steady hand and extraordinary breadth and depth of knowledge and wisdom were and are critical to the overall progress and direction of our project.
• Yamam Nabeel, CEO of FC Unity, and his father Nabeel Yasin, known as the Poet of Baghdad, whose spiritual and cultural insights continue to guide us and reliably inform us as to the subtleties and complexities of life on the ground in our war zones and who have opened doors for us with the U.S. Military.
• The Sager Family Foundation, for funding the first molds used to produce the balls, raising the funds to purchase the first production run of 10,000 balls, and donating balls to needy African communities

In the organizing phase of the One World Futbol Project, our heartfelt thanks are due to . . .

• Teresa Pahl and her colleagues at the law firm of Hanson & Bridgett, for their skill and knowledge in organizing the Project.
• John Heymann, Mary Beth Glisson, and Alison Coelho of the NewLevel Group, for thoughtful advice in shaping the Project’s business model.
• Michael Vanderbyl, for donating his brilliant logo design
• Rory Earnshaw, for contributing pro bono his insightful professional photography and videography services
• Scott James of FairTradeSports, whose friendly advice helped us understand the market for the One World Futbol

In the early months of the One World Futbol Project following its launch on July 8, 2010, we owe a debt of gratitude to . . .

• Jennifer Hwang and Dana Young of Aha-Ink! Public Relations, for their gifted and highly successful efforts to gain early visibility for the Project and for donating some of their time.
• Andrew Healy of ThreeRock Wine Company, for his creative use of social media in spreading the word about the One World Futbol far and wide.
• Francesca Suzio of Media/Design, who donated her time to develop the Project’s excellent initial corporate identity package
• Nicholas Hammond and Anhtuan Hong of H2Media Labs, for their outstanding work in designing our new website and Facebook page.
• Ann Kletz of Right to Play and Nick Gates of Coaches Without Continents, who have helped us understand the emerging field of sport for development
• Rocky and Shawn Rowhedder, who pioneered a vital relationship with Semester at Sea that has resulted in One World Futbols being delivered to numerous groups on multiple continents, enriching the lives of hundreds of children (as well as SaS students).