FOOTBALL4GOOD MAGAZINE - DECEMBER 2019

As a journalist, you get used to writing about other people’s stories. It becomes second nature to report on issues affecting people from all walks of life, some of whom you may never even meet and no matter how experienced you become at handling a variety of situations, every now and again something stops you in your tracks. That happened to me just over two years ago when I attended the Common Goal exhibition at the National Football Museum in Manchester. I’d heard of the movement in my role as Football Editor at the Manchester Evening News due to Manchester United player Juan Mata’s personal involvement, so I went along to the event to learn more about the project and take some pictures of the exhibi- tion for our social media accounts. What I initially assumed would just be another ‘work’ event, quickly transpired to be a humbling and uplifting evening. The Oscar Foundation had flown over a group of Indian children from Mumbai to visit Manchester and London and it felt crass to even discuss football with colleagues on the night when Mata said in his deeply moving speech to the audi- ence that, until recently, the kids had never slept in a bed. Mata explained to a hushed room: “When I was in India with them, I could see how they live. And how the foundation is helping them to have better conditions and through education become better in a way.” “If I was a kid of their age and somebody brought me to Old Trafford, I would be shocked. I hope it affects them in a positive way, and they will remember it forever. “All the kids, they are from a slum, 60,000 people living in the same area with pret- ty basic conditions. To be honest, water, electricity is not well developed at all. “What Oscar Foundation does is help them through football. They created a classroom, created an English lesson, created a place where they can go and feel safe and develop themselves as a person, play football in different pitches around Mumbai, but the conditions they live in [on] a daily basis are not as we understand it in Europe. At all.” WHY I JOINED COMMON GOAL BY ALICE MCKEEGAN His sincere and stark words truly hit home and no doubt had an impact on everyone gathered in the exhibition space. For me, it emphasised the impor- tance of supporting the cause and promoting awareness wherever possible - not too difficult when you work in the media and communications industry. My colleague interviewed Mata on the night and the piece about the movement was well received on our website, Twitter and Facebook. The overwhelmingly posi- tive response showed that our readers - who come from all over the globe - were also interested in the movement so it was a no brainer to feature more Common Goal news as and when we received it. But as time passed, just covering the stories of new sign-ups and snippets of news on the movement, for example United legend Eric Cantona’s support, didn’t feel enough and I was left thinking ‘what more can I do?’ Perhaps naively, I had no idea that ‘normal’ people could join the movement. I assumed it was just for high-profile individuals working in football, but was pleased when I learned that I was eligible to pledge support and didn’t have to think twice when I real- ised that was an option. The whole sign-up process was so easy. From the initial conversation to making my first pledge, it couldn’t have been more straightfor- ward. Each step of the way, everyone at Common Goal was so welcoming and I was even able to select the specific project to benefit from my donation. My professional life each day revolves around football and the sport is all about teamwork. Common Goal embodies this and, although one per cent of my salary won’t change lives by itself, it is heartwarming to know my contribution will have an impact when combined with other people’s donations. The movement is already changing lives and it’s incredible to see the projects you are contribut- ing to, even in just a small way, creating so much social change. As simplistic as this sounds, football gives people working in the industry so much and it is nice to give something back, which Common Goal enables. Hopefully, as more and more people learn about Common Goal, through conversations on social media and coverage in traditional print media, the movement will grow and grow and continue to transform lives. We can all play our part. ALICE MCKEEGAN is the Head of Football for the Manchester Evening News. She recently joined Common Goal as an official Supporter. 58 59 FOOTBALL4GOODMAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019