The Ball and its journey to the 2018 World Championship

When the soccer World Cup kicked off in Russia on June 14, 2018, one particular soccer ball in Moscow had completed a very special journey that began three months earlier: By then, “The Ball” had toured 18 countries, from the UK to Germany, across the Balkans, through Asia, arriving ultimately in Russia. It traveled in the luggage of former pro soccer player Andrew Aris and his team, Spirit of Football, a social enterprise based in Erfurt, Germany. Supported by the Robert Bosch Stiftung, the group’s tour covered small and large soccer clubs, schools, and educational initiatives. The Spirit of Football team ran workshops and played soccer with pros and politicians, children and refugees. And everybody who kicked or headed the ball could sign it.

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