Santa Catarina is a small quiet fishing village on the lakeside of Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. I made this picture on a Saturday afternoon where a thunderstorm and the ever present volcanos provide a dramatic background. Waterlevel of the lake is rising so the town soon has to rebuild the football field.
2 Marts 2013
The soccer field is rocky and uneven, and the grass is stubby at best. Younger boys play with balls made out of plastic bags, while Jabulani, the prized 2010 World Cup Soccer ball, is kept for the matches. On weekends they play matches against other village teams, walking as long as 2 hours over the hill-paths to get to the other village, then walking back again, often in the dark. Their success rate in 2011 was 55%. They obviously want to improve, but ultimately it is the disciplined lifestyle of soccer that is the reward in itself.
This picture was taken one early morning at Fernando de Noronha, when this group of firemans were playing football on the beach.
September 12, 2012
The picture was taken at Panchgani which is a hill station in Satara district of Maharashtra, India. The place is known for number of boarding schools established in late 19th century. The picture shows students playing football at one of the table tops (Volcanic Plateau) of Panchgani.
June 26, 2012
The boys in the image were apparently engaged in a pick-up game of football before heading off to school.
21 November 2010
During the bright summer nights, when the sun never sets, it´s amazing to breathe and experience the greatness of nature. In the winter time the bright hours decrease massively, and in December it´s almost darkness all day. In the dark and sometimes cold and snowy winter it is helpful that in the last 10 to 15 years a few football halls have been built, and that has helped us to enjoy playing football all year long.
Luang Prabang is a beautiful city in north central Laos, with a population of 50,000. It has a curious mix of natural beauty, Buddhist monasteries and French colonial architecture and attracts both well-heeled tourists and backpackers, sharing the streets with shaven-headed young Buddhist monks in brilliant orange robes.
25 December 2009
Boys are playing football in Torit, South Sudan, early in the morning after a storm hit the town during the night. While most adults were busy removing water from their homes, children were enjoying their favorite sport in their usual improvised fashion.
24 September 2011
Renato and his friends stop to play football on the small, bumpy, slanted pitch. They take turns shooting on the wooden goalposts, rotating goalies every few minutes. After about a half an hour of practice, they pack up their things and head home, where Renato's mother would have probably scolded him for dirtying his school clothes, unaware of his goalkeeping heroics on the pitch.
20 March 2012
In the quiet coastal town of Baracoa on the eastern tip of Cuba, children play football along with their dog on the streets at dusk. Unable to afford footballs, makeshift balls are often made from taped up paper.
30 May, 2006
In a small village in Bolivia a group of men is playing football. The backdrop to their game was incredible and despite being at 5000m above sealevel (where oxygen levels are very low), they were easily running around.
8 June, 2008
Ittoqqortoormiit is one of Greenland's most isolated cities and can only be reached by helicopter and by boat for a short period in the summer season.
The local hunters have for generations lived by hunting whales and polar bears which is still an important occupation.
June 25, 2011
Children play football in a walled in park on the outskirts of Bamako, Mali. They play after school until it is too dark to see. Bamako is a city of 1.3 million people more famous for its musicians than athletes.
January, 2012
Girls playing a Christmas football tournament in the small town called Maras in Peru.
29 Dec 2011
Foumban is an arts and cultural center for Cameroon. Foumban's Rue des Artisans is a bustling area where mask makers, sculptors, painters and other artists produce their works. Generally, while the adults work, the children attend school. In their free time, however, children of all ages engage in pick-up football games. In this photo, two youngsters kicked an orange ball down a dirt alleyway as the late afternoon sun illuminated the orange hues of dusty Foumban.
18 February, 2008
This bare earth football pitch lies in the heart of this community, surrounded by the barrios of Regalo de Dios, Altos de Oriente, El Pinal and Manantiales. Children, youths and adults from the community regularly gather here to take part in one of the unifying and shared passions of all Colombians: Futbol.
Bangladesh has its own football leagues. Riots were not very uncommon around the stadiums even a decade ago.Recent days the popularity is being challenged by the lack of playing fields and proper infra structure.
Being one of the most highly dense countries in the world, cities and suburb areas can offer very little space to the children for sports. In this photo, children are playing inside Sonakanda Fort in Narayangonj- which is a national heritage area.
In front of Darul Aman Palace.
April 2010
After a local football game in one of the hills of Valparaiso this boy is heading home.
May, 2011
Jaco Beach in Costa Rica is known world-wide as a destination for surfers in search of a perfect wave. Lovers flock here as well to stroll hand-in-hand into the sunset. But, to the local teenagers it is nothing less than their personal world cup arena... Where the ocean roars like millions of raging fans, where sweat mixes with sand, dreams soar into the salty air, and the game is played until the last ray of sun dives behind the golden horizon.
May 27, 2005
Shizuoka, 140km east of Tokyo, is believed to be the place of origin of soccer in Japan, not historically but practically. Over 60 years ago when baseball was most popular sport and fascinating people throughout Japan, Shizuoka was the only place which focused primarily on developing soccer. As a result, Shizuoka has produced a lot of Japan National Team players. In addition to soccer, it is known for the Japanese symbols: Mt. Fuji and the production of Japanese tea. Rising soccer in the land of the rising sun, Japan.
21 October 2012
In Mbouda, Cameroon around mid-day and within a school courtyard made of packed red clay, a group of about ten boys play football. With scant equipment but a ball and some mostly flat space, these boys play hard in bare feet, and rubber clogs. The goal, the two large black stones, can be seen in the foreground. The schoolyard walls seen in the background are imprinted with the markings of footballs as they are used as the boundaries for the game.
August 2011
Every afternoon, when the heat calms down, the esplanade next to the nine hundred years old Kalyan Minaret is the setting for city kids to play football. With a goal painted on one wall and a ball used in a thousand battles, the boys recall the feats of his idols while listening to the voice of the muezzin calling to prayer.
August 2011
Football trainings at the Laaksolahti sports field, Finland early spring. The field is in use almost throughout the year. Only during the coldest days of January and February there is no activity.
10 March 2012
In Myanmar, a monastic experience is a compulsory stage for every Buddhist boy. It is also a way to access a basic scholar education.
They will learn the rigorous monastic way of life for some days to several months. Nevertheless, some breaks are allowed.
Beyond nationalities, cultures, lifestyles, we are all humans.
May 2010
While there is a large grassy pitch with nets just outside of town, it often sits unused in favor of the more casual sandy setting. Here, the older boy was dribbling on his own and playing a bit of "keep away" with the toddler, who was chasing after the ball to no avail.
March 30, 2010
Jambiani is a rural fishing village on the east coast of Zanzibar with a population of around 6,000
Every evening after school and work, and once the staring sun has cooled, dozens of young villagers bound on to the beach to play football - an exuberant burst of surf t-shirts, European football shirts and traditional Muslim dress.
October 2011
A sunset game of soccer on the beach in Sri Lanka. In the background is the famous small island Buddhist Temple of Sinigama built on a rock some 100 metres offshore. Suprisingly, this temple was one of the only buildings in the area to remain unscathed after the 2004 Tsunami.
July 2012
The photo was taken in East Jerusalem, not far away from the Western Wall Plaza. The boys are taking a break from a nearby school, filling the square with laughter and thus bring the Old City to life.
The settlement at Ko Panyi was established at the end of the 18th century by nomadic Malay fisherman. The population consists of 360 families or 1,685 people. The village includes a floating football pitch. Inspired by the 1986 FIFA World Cup, children built the pitch from old scraps of wood and fishing rafts. As of 2011, Panyee FC is one of the most successful youth soccer clubs in Southern Thailand.
4 june 2011
The walls of the city, built by Ali ibn Yusuf in 1122-1123, and various buildings constructed during this period have given the city the nickname of the "Red City" or "Ochre City" because of the red sandstone used.
7 February, 2013
A football match taking place in Yerevan which is the capital of Armenia.
The land rises to 4,090 metres above sea level at Mount Aragats, which according to the bible is the place where Noah's ark came to rest.
21 August 2011
The image was taken in the Coyoacán borough of Mexico City. The guys here are playing in a public park situated between government-built projects and a middle-class residential area.
13 February 2010
This is one of Majdi’s football clubs; his passion is to bring hope to the youth of Shatila through sports. He volunteers and runs two clubs a week himself, while working as a maintenance man in the camp to provide for his family.
22 November, 2012
This picture was taken one windy evening before a big storm in one of Phnom Penh’s poorest neighbourhoods.
9 October 2012
In the late afternoon, school children
engage in a game of football near the
Citadel on top of one of Amman’s seven
hills.
4 January, 2012
Young boys playing football outside the Citadel in downtown Aleppo which was first built between 364-333 BC while the majority of the present day structure dates back to Mamluk rule between 1250-1517 AD.
January, 2008
A child care centre in Nairobi, Kenya. The 76 kids in the centre used to live in the poor neighbourhood of Kayole - with crime an pollution being the biggest problems - until they moved to the green outskirts of the city in late december 2011. To play football some used the space between the primary school room an the office, others - mainly the elder ones - went to a dirt place in the outside. Today, with the new center based in Ruai, there is enough space to play inside the fence.
Dec 2011
From a sunny courtyard in sleepy old Vittoriosa, Malta, a couple of kids hone their football skills and dream of the World Cup. Interestingly, the Cross of St. John’s – Malta’s national emblem – adorns the archway of this particular courtyard.
March 2008
Shibam, often referred to as Shibam Hadhramaut, is a town located in the Ramlat al-Sab`atayn desert ,Yemen. This city i world famous for the architectural structures, known as "the oldest skyscraper city in the world" which is one of the oldest and best examples of urban planning based on the principle of vertical construction.
20 December, 2007
The largest pier in the Hudson River, Pier 40, was originally built as a shipping terminal. Now it's home to a huge complex of fields, indoor and outdoor, used by schoolkids across the city in all seasons.
21 June, 2008
Eiði is and settlement located in the northwestern part of the
Faroe Islands. The settlement was founded in the late 17th century and contains 771 inhabitants. Between mountains next to the north Atlantic, the local football field is placed . A large fence around the pitch keeps the ball out of the big waves.
13 June 2011
Suriname is the smallest independent country in South America. Suriname is situated between French Guiana to the east and Guyana to the west. The southern border is shared with Brazil and the northern border is the Atlantic coast.
March, 2010
Three months after the earthquake that devastated nearby Port-au-Prince, a group of kids play football in the yard in front of a church which was being used as a shelter and feeding center for earthquake victims.
April 16, 2010
George Djikpo (with the white shorts) is 19 and from the capital city of Lomé, about 12 hours south in the most developed, urban part of Togo. The village of Gbentchal isn't on any maps. It is in a forgotten, tribal part of western Africa accessed only by a "road" with perilous river crossings through lawless territory.
3 July, 2012
In a narrow street of Bethlehem, children enjoying themselves while chasing the ball down the alley.
march 2013
From school playgrounds, green areas or parks, to the sandy beaches represented by this photograph in Trou d'Eau Douce - the beautiful game is enjoyed everywhere!
Football is the number one sport in Mauritius. Actually, there is no close second!
16 January 2011
A football pitch recently built on reclaimed land in Manama's Juffair district. The area across the body of water is ancient Muharraq, Bahrain's third largest city which served as its capital until 1923.
December 6th 2012
With it's active and lively volcano and deep jungle, the island of Tanna, Vanuatu liesin the Pacific ocean in a world of it's own. The island has limited modern inventions and follows very traditional ways of life. A population of roughly 30,000 people inhabit the island and you'll find smiles in abundance.
November 10, 2010
You can't walk down the popular Grand Anse Beach in Grenada on a weekend without finding at least one football! What better football field could you wish for?! Inevitably, the ball will land in the water - an additional challenge for the players when added to the passerby and the uneven beach sand. Who cares about these small problems, when you can end your game with a swim in the warm Caribbean Sea? There are certainly not many better ways to "lime" on the Spice Isle, than spend time with friends and loved ones on a beautiful beach!
5 May 2013
Locals gather for the Tufi football Championships, located on a fjord in Papua New Guinea surrounded by tropical reefs.
September 26, 2010
Asunción, the capital of Paraguay, is a city of contrasts. Here, the barefoot children from the nearby slums play football in the back of the neoclassical Palacio de los López, the official workplace of the president of the republic.
3 April 2011
This photo was taken in an African shanty town known as Linda Compound, located just outside of Zambia's capital city, Lusaka. There are approximately 25,000 people living here, most without basic necessities such as water and sanitation. What may come as a surprise is that, while they lack the basics, they do have a decent football team thanks to the Light of Hope Community Health Care Center
January 14, 2010
The expression ‘half four na’ in Solomon Islands pijin refers to the time in the afternoon when children, villagers, government workers and friends all come together in communities across the country to stop, enjoy the few moments when the sun is still up but the oppressive heat has dropped enough to enjoy a game of football with friends.
23 July, 2009
