We Play Green is an independent and non-profit global football movement established by the professional footballer Morten Thorsby.
Our purpose is to mobilize the global football family to support the Green Shift. The Green Shift is possible and urgently needed, but it is short on public support.
The football family is by far the largest population in the world. It connects more than half the planet despite geographical, cultural, religious, and social differences.
If we can get a quarter of the football family onboard the Green Shift, we are close to being saved. If we get the majority onboarded, the future will be bright again.
With the SDGs, the UN has created a roadmap for carrying out the Green Shift. The technology we need is available, and the world has enough money to execute. There are also plenty of politicians ready to transform governments and many businesses and NGOs prepared to implement.
So, the Green Shift is possible. Yet, it isn’t happening. Why?
In the Global North, the majority of people ignore the risks, are unwilling to change lifestyles, and prioritize short-term profit over long-term sustainability. In the Global South, the focus is primarily on improving their living standards, not on the climate and environment.
Therefore, the green Shift isn’t happening; global support is too low.
To build support for the Green Shift, we need the Global North to change its attitudes and actions and we need the Global South to get confident they can improve their living standard without fossil fuels. We need to get the whole earth to desire the Green Shift, and we need everyone to put words into action, individually.
We do not believe that threat and disaster communication can generate the necessary support for the Green Shift. Instead, we want to use football, emotions, and belonging to engage people and, with that, create the support needed.
Fast forward to 2020, a meeting with the Italian Environmental Minister, Sergio Costa, planted the seed in Morten’s mind to present a project that linked the world’s most followed sport to the world’s most pressing issue. Thus, We Play Green was born.
For the 21/22 season, Morten changed his playing number to #2. His intention was to create a symbol on the pitch for the 2015 Paris Agreement target of keeping global warming below 2°C. Since then, #2 has become a We Play Green symbol for everything related to building support for the Green Shift.
Our story continues as we try to tackle the world’s most pressing issue by activating the far-reaching voices and influence of professional football.
