Hello Friends,

If you are reading this, I either known you personally from playing/coaching football together, from working together or for one of my organizations or have been associated in some way with the organizations I run both on and off the field. Some of you have been indirectly introduced to me by mutual acquaintances.

I would appreciate if you could take a few minutes out of your busy schedules to read about this very important project I have recently embarked upon. A few months ago I was invited by a prominent member of our local and global business community to meet with Olympic great Johann Olav Koss, President and CEO of Right To Play, a large and prominent global humanitarian organization focused on developing, running and advocating sport/play programs for children in refugee camps and areas of conflict around the world. The aim of Right To Play is to use sport and play as a medium for development, health and peace in the lives of children in the most disadvantaged areas.

I was deeply moved and impressed with Johann Koss's commitment to this extremely worthy cause and decided that I must make a bigger effort to utilize my own personal resources and the resources of my friends, family and acquaintances at a local and international level to create more awareness and raise financial support for Right To Play.

In 2003 while completing an MBA in Football Industries at the University of Liverpool, England, I read a interesting article in SportsBusiness magazine, describing 'Olympicaid', which has since become Right To Play. I was inspired by 'Olympicaid' and in fact wanted to work with the organisation after I completed the course but it was sheer coincidence which led me to meet directly with Johann Koss, now head of Right To Play.

After meeting with Johann, I created a fundraising drive for my small local soccer club and have raised US$16,000 in only months after I solicited our members and friends in our local community. You can see our clubs Right To Play homepage by clicking HERE. The online donations are made directly to Right To Play with supporters receiving an automatically generated pdf receipt. Sponsors who make offline donations receive a hardcopy receipt within a week of their donation. The only labor intensive activity I am responsible for is forwarding the check donations made out directly to Right To Play to the head office as well as managing/editing/monitoring our homepage which requires very little time and effort.

I was inspired by the support which has prompted me to encourage other organizations to do the same. With a small amount of effort other organizations can make such a huge difference. Union FC is the very first soccer club in the United States to embark on this worthy project, which we are extremely proud of.

I thought why cant others do the same? As a the leader of our community soccer organization, I felt it was my responsibility to share the positive benefits of the sport we love so much to children in our local community, as well as children in need throughout the world. Due to poverty and violence, over 700 million children globally do not know what it means to play. In our efforts to create healthier, happier children and safer communities through sport and play, our local soccer club Union F.C accepted the challenge to raise funds for Right to Play.

There are thousands of clubs throughout the Unites States, many larger than my own. According to some sources there are approx. 12-14 million players in the United States and many more fans. If only 2% of approx 3,500 clubs of similar size in the USA to our own were to support Right To Play to the extent that our club has, this would generate approximately $1million per year, which is a conservative estimate because our annual goal is $50,000, bringing the estimated annual total to approx.$3.5 million.

So what does it take to encourage and inspire others to do the same as we have done?
In June, 2006 I was invited by Right To Play to become a member of a 7-person Strategic Advisory Committee in the U.S.A. I accepted this non-paid position because it is something which Im deeply committed to and with your assistance and guidance can help make a difference to children in need. Through soccer/football, business and living in Silicon Valley as well as my associates and acquaintances through the MBA Football Industries graduate course I have had the privilege of meeting many good hearted, successful and dynamic people.
Our committee is responsible for developing a grassroots movement, launching a membership organization, athlete ambassador recruitment, international volunteer recruitment, developing relationships with academic institutions and strategies for fundraising in the short and long-term as well as identifying prospective donors and partners including foundations, individual members, corporations and board members. We are also responsible for identifying potential non-profit, government and for-profit partners to help us achieve our strategic objectives as well as developing media connections.
The reason for sharing my mission and responsibility with you is because you may fall into one of the following categories:

· Current or Former Athlete of International/National/Regional acclaim (esp. Soccer/Football)
· Coach/Manager of National/International acclaim.
· Sports League, Federation, Association or Club Chairman President, CEO, Board Member or administrative (esp. Football/Soccer)
· Global, National or Regional Corporate sponsor or marketing partners and merchandising firms.
· Prospective donor at an individual level
· Owner, Chairman, President, Board Member & Executive of Global Multinationals, Private businesses, Foundations & Venture Capitalists, Merchant Bankers & business leaders.
· Members of International, National or Local Media (print, TV, internet) including reporters, journalists, commentators, photographers, editors and publishers as well as Media persons for Federations, Clubs, Leagues.
· Sports (Soccer/Football) agents representing athletes and coaches in ALL countries.
· Film/Television/Music personalities including Producers, Directors and Actors.
· Public Relations and Advertising firms.
· Professors and teachers at Academic Institutions including Athletic Directors and Heads of Sport.
· Politicians including Heads of State, Governor, Senator, Ambassador, Mayor.

Right To Play has a permanent presence in the world of childrens sport and play. In addition to its child development programs, Right To Play is established as a force in international advocacy on behalf of every childs right to play and is actively involved in research and policy development in this area. Our vision is to engage leaders on all sides of sport, business and media to ensure every childs right to play.
Right To Play is an athlete-driven international organization that uses sport and play as a tool for the development of children and youth in imperiled areas of the world. Right To Play is committed to improving the lives of children in 23 countries and to strengthening their communities by translating the best practices of sport and play into opportunities to promote development, health and peace. Right To Play works closely with UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees) and recently held events in Thailand , Uganda and Azerbaijan with family friend and Union F.C staff coach/USA women's national team player Lorrie Fair.

Right To Play programs foster the healthy physical, social and emotional development of children and build safer and stronger communities. The organization has witnessed the positive impact sport has on refugee children, former child combatants, children with a disability, and young people at risk or orphaned by HIV AIDS or war.
The following are just a few of the hundreds of world famous athletes who have associated themselves with Right To Play. Liverpool F.Cs John Arne Riise, Roger Milla, Ronaldo and U.S.A. soccer player Abby Wambach, Chinese national team goalkeeper Gao Hong and Freddie Kanoute. Speed Skater Joey Cheeks, Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe, HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein of Jordan, Lance Armstrong (Cycling), George Foreman (Boxing) Dan Jansen (Speed Skating), Michael Johnson, Marion Jones, Steve Young (NFL quarterback) and Picaboo Street. Manchester United coach Carlos Queiroz is has also supported Right To Plays efforts in Mozambique . Read about his involvement here

International Sport Partners
http://www.righttoplay.com/site/PageServer?pagename=sportpartners
International Implementation Partners
http://www.righttoplay.com/site/PageServer?pagename=programpartners
Private Funders and Supporters
http://www.righttoplay.com/site/PageServer?pagename=privatefunders

The diversity of these supporters reflects the global reach of Sport for Development, providing another example of how companies and individuals can positively effect change for children around the world.
If you know of anyone who would be interested in Right To Play or you know of an individual or organization who may be a suitable or a potential source of funding, please do not hesitate to contact me. For your interest I am currently residing in Palo Alto , Silicon Valley (USA) and will be in London , England August 5th-7th & 12-13th as well as Liverpool & Manchester ( England ) August 8th-11th, returning to Palo Alto in mid-August. If you are in the vicinity of these areas during these dates, I would be more than happy to meet you to discuss my activities with Right To Play and of course do some catching up with old friends! If you would like to speak with me about this in person or by phone, please contact me at your convenience.

With Kindest Regards
Gary Ireland