On Wednesday, June 28th, WPG played a big role in the first-ever UEFA Respect Forum by participating in a panel, “The Voice of Inspiration”. Held at the DFB-Campus in Frankfurt, the Respect Forum brought together 200 experts and stakeholders from the football industry, with a shared goal of advancing social and environmental sustainability in European football. Our two WPG Players, Morten Thorsby and Rachel Corboz represented player voices in this discussion on how football can create a culture and movement around the Green Shift.
Our female representative Rachel, also a player for Stade de Reims Féminines, is pursuing higher education in environmental sustainability. She demonstrated her engagement off the pitch by exchanging valuable perspectives with sustainability stakeholders and effectively representing the voice of professional football players.
“Being able to meet and engage in discussions with like-minded individuals dedicated to creating a more sustainable football world was truly rewarding.” Rachel Corboz
Our male representative, Morten Thorsby, represented player voices in a panel called “The Voice of Inspiration”. Moderated by Pedro Pinto, the panel included French international and Arsenal legend Patrick Viera and WPG founder, Morten Thorsby. Together, they advocated for immediate action against issues that are plaguing both football and our society, which were racism, and the planetary crises.
Morten emphasized the immense responsibility carried by football players, clubs, federations, and UEFA itself, highlighting the need for leveraging their influence to raise awareness about social and environmental concerns. In particular, he called upon UEFA to address the apparent lack of urgency in tackling the planetary crises.
“Things are happening – but we have to accelerate the process. It would help if all the players come together and help because the fans listen to them. We need pressure from all parts – With the clubs, federations, UEFA, and the players onboard, we can manage to get the power that will change things” Morten Thorsby
Both Morten and Patrick agreed on the far-reaching voices of football players and their desire to make a positive impact on the world.
“Footballers have ‘100 times the influence’ of politicians and scientists” Morten Thorsby
“What’s going on on the field and off the field is really important and we all have a responsibility to play on that” Patrick Viera
The WPG team educates football players about the important roles they can play to help us win the most important game on the planet.
We all have a role 2 play!
