Professor Yunus, winner of the prestigious Nobel Laureate for the creation and development of the microcredit movement, will help lead conversations that will inspire football to become a force that drives positive change in the world at the upcoming World Football Summit (www.WorldFootballSummit.com) event in Sevilla, scheduled for September 20-21; The Yunus Sports Hub works with thousands of young people, athletes, business leaders and organisations in sport to help them realise their social business potential and contribute towards a more sustainable world; World Football Summit maintains its commitment to using the power of football as a force for positive change in society, after its collaboration with Common Goal or Real Betis in the past.
World Football Summit (WFS) is thrilled to announce the participation of Nobel Prize-winning Professor Muhammad Yunus at its flagship event, WFS Europe, taking place on September 20-21 in Sevilla. The renowned social entrepreneur will shed light on the transformative power of football to foster positive global change.
Through its platform, WFS prides itself on championing individuals who leverage the power of football and sports for greater societal impact. Over the years, it has partnered with the likes of Common Goal to donate part of its ticketing revenue to the victims of the conflict in Ukraine, has helped organize the most inclusive match in the world in collaboration with Real Betis and Integrated Dreams, and has pledged to welcome a minimum of 30% of female speakers to its panels.
Moreover, at its annual WFS Awards Gala, World Football Summit includes winners from 3 different categories that recognize organizations from all over the world who are driving positive change through sport such as the Marcus Rashford Award, the Football for All Award or the Football For Good Award.
Professor Yunus exemplifies this mission through his groundbreaking work at the Yunus Sports Hub (www.YunusSportsHub.com), which returns to WFS Europe as partner, where young people, athletes and industry leaders are empowered. In addition to the Nobel Peace Prize, he is also the recipient of numerous international awards for his ideas and endeavors, and has received all three highest US Civilian awards (Presidential Citizens Medal, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal). Prof. Yunus is one of only seven people in history that has received these awards, along with recipients Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela. In 2009, Forbes named Professor Yunus one of its “10 Most Influential Business Gurus.”
"It's an extraordinary honor to welcome Prof. Yunus to World Football Summit," stated Jan Alessie, Co-founder and Director at World Football Summit. "His unwavering commitment to social entrepreneurship mirrors our dedication to a football industry that prioritizes global betterment."
Prof. Yunus expressed his enthusiasm, stating, "Joining WFS Europe is an exciting opportunity. Together, we can further the discourse on football's potential as a force for global good. In our lifetime we can create a world of three zeroes; zero poverty, zero unemployment and zero net carbon emissions. Sport is fundamental to human beings and will be fundamental to achieving these goals.”
In 2022, the Yunus Sports Hub focused on the following key areas of work:
- Inspiring and training future and current social entrepreneurs.
- Helping athletes to create and accelerate their social impact while generating income.
- Developing a generation of socially conscious future leaders within the sports industry.
- Helping organizations transition towards more sustainable revenue streams.
Among the positive impact it has created, the following figures stand out:
- 3,650 current and future social entrepreneurs received training.
- 93 social entrepreneurs were accelerated.
- 32 new social businesses were created.
Out of the above, 32% of entrepreneurs supported were based in Africa and 56% of programme participants identified as women and girls.
On the other hand, World Football Summit is the biggest platform dedicated to the football industry. Since its inception in 2016, WFS has successfully attracted over 22,000 attendees across 17 events and has built a global community of 90,000+ sports industry executives throughout its platforms. Top names in the industry, including Gianni Infantino, Fatma Samoura, Ronaldo Nazario, Samuel Eto’o, Peter Moore, and Cindy Parlow- Cone have participated, showcasing the event's significance in the global football landscape.
Media members are invited to join us at WFS Europe, where pivotal discussions will center around the evolution of football into a more sustainable, inclusive, and impactful industry.
For more information on WFS Europe and our line-up of speakers, please visit our website (www.WorldFootballSummit.com).
This is a joint press release by the World Football Summit (WFS) and Yunus Sports Hub.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Football Summit.
Media contact:
press@worldfootballsummit.com
About World Football Summit:
World Football Summit (http://www.WorldFootballSummit.com/) is the premier platform connecting the football industry worldwide. Through conferences, events, and digital platforms, WFS provides opportunities for stakeholders to network, discuss trends, and collaborate to shape the future of football. Since its first event was held in 2016, WFS has brought together more than 90,000 stakeholders, 557 football clubs, and 3,000+ companies.
About Yunus Sports Hub:
Yunus Sports Hub (http://www.YunusSportsHub.com/) was founded by 2006 Nobel Prize Laureate and 2020 Olympic Laurel awardee Professor Muhammad Yunus. The organisation works to harness the power of social business and sport to end poverty, unemployment and the climate crisis, drawing on the unique expertise and reach of the global Yunus ecosystem and social business movement, which gathers 5000+ experts and organisations in 150+ countries and has been built over the past 50 years. The hub works with thousands of young people, athletes, business leaders and organisations in sport to help them realise their social business potential.
The Yunus Sports Hub works to:
- Facilitate in-person and online incubators, accelerators and leadership/capacity-building programmes for prospective social entrepreneurs.
- Embed social business principles and practices within clubs, federations, athlete unions, sporting events, brands, NGOs and the surrounding industries.
- Co-design and invest in interventions that support social businesses using sport for development around the world.
