Footballers For Peace Update
October 18, 2007
To bring everyone up-to-speed, last night I had a meeting with the Knowbility development team, who are a designer and developer with Rackspace Managed Hosting. Byron McCollum will be designing the Footballers For Peace website and Michael Barton will be programming it. I hear from Joe McBride and Dirk Elmendorf at Rackspace that Byron and Michael are just awesome guys and very talented at their craft so, we could not be luckier.
The purpose of last nights meeting was for the non-profit organizations to meet the design teams and meet the other non-profit organizations. There are many great organizations involved serving great causes. Heck, Knowbility is doing a an awesome thing that is helping many, many people … it is really cool to be a part of this.
So, Byron, Michael and I had a chance to chat and get to know each other. We shared a few things and then got into what Footballers For Peace was about. Then, we go into the discussion about what was needed for the website, drew out a few things on scratch pads, looked at the site map I prepared and some of the content that was put together.
One of the things I learned about that shows how much of an educational enlightenment Knowbility is providing us through this process is….we plan to have a video channel on the home page to showcase various events that are happening around the world. Well, Byron and Michael pointed out that for accessibility concerns we need to transcribe the video so that the text can be made available for someone who is deaf and wants to be able to understand what is happening in the video, which can be done with software like MAGpie.
Conversely, we also discussed having text to audio functions using services like odiogo on portions of the site that would make it easier for a blind person to hear the context of what Footballers For Peace is about.
Now, we have 10 days to plan out the site and have to design and program the site in one day, which will take place on October 27th.
I plan to capture the event on video and will transcribe the content in a blog post on the Footballers For Peace blog, which will be available via a podcast as well. This experience should be fun and educational - it has already proven to be eye-opening for me.
Blogged with Flock
Tags: football, soccer, peace, rackspace, knowbility, accessibility
Helping Fellow Footballers
October 8, 2007
Before I get started, I wanted to post something this evening that I thought everyone should take to heart. For the members of ZZ, think about this - why have you joined ZZ? Is it because you want others to notice you? Is it because you want to help others? Are you here to get better? What do you have to give?
These are all questions that I hope you’ll ask yourself this week and as you move forward in your football (soccer) life. I have shared with some of you before my thoughts about the importance of collective intelligence and more importantly the power that each of you hold as individuals.
From my perspective, as a founder of Ziga-Zoga, I truly believe that I can make a difference in the lives of other players, coaches and passionate supporters. More importantly, as a member of ZZ, you too can have a large impact in the community just by reaching out to others.
My partners, Chris, Ed and Steve all want Ziga-Zoga to become a place where all who are serious about this game and the positive effects it can have in our lives and friends and families lives. Come, connect, learn and grow with others and tell others. When you come back to ZZ, start thinking about how you can personally help another footballer. Think about what you can do to make someone’s day, week or year then apply yourself.
I would love to hear from you about how you plan to help your fellow footballers. Share your plans, set some goals, blog about what you plan to do; shoot a video telling us what you want to do; take a picture and share it with us. Most importantly, let us see you get stuck in!
How To Get A Professional Trial?
October 5, 2007
Many, many players and some coaches are seeking professional trials and offers on ZZ these days. It’s probably the most asked question I get and am getting hundreds of emails on. So, I thought I would post this and then open a forum on this very topic.
Please take this to heart players and coaches. Then, make sure you have each of these items done prior to asking anyone in the community if they can help you get a trial with a club:
What TO DO!
- Fill Out Your Profile: Make sure you have completely filled out your profile complete with your picture. This is basically your resume or CV where you include all your contact information and stats, etc.
- Post A Picture: If you want to be considered as a professional player or coach, post a professional looking headshot that is clearly visible. You don’t necessarily need to be in a coat & tie but, make sure your picture is visible, clean and makes a good first impression. If you are in your favorite kit - that’s perfect, just make sure your face is visible.
- Upload A Video: This is probably your most important selling tool as a player or coach. You may want to do a short video introducing yourself so that a coach or scout can begin to understand who you are as a person. With some assistance, you need to capture yourself in action. Get someone to help you produce a video of you playing in the most competitive environment possible. Juggling and freestyle videos are cool but, they don’t truly demonstrate your tactical and technical capabilities.
What NOT TO DO!
- If you have not completed steps 1 - 3 above then don’t ask members of the community for a professional trial. You are wasting their time and yours by not being effective.
- Don’t post your resume or CV on someone else’s personal page taking up all their communication real estate.
- DO NOT TAKE MONEY FROM AN AGENT THAT IS PROMISING A TRIAL WITH A CLUB. We are looking into what should be the most ethical practice but are leaning to the opinion that any transaction for the purpose of a trial should be going to the actual club giving the trial.
Now, this post is simply meant to be advice and not RULES. We certainly do not wish to restrict the free flow of information within the community however; we want to improve and offer guidance for more effective utilization of the tools you have available with Ziga-Zoga. Let me know if you have any thoughts on this.
Lastly, below is a great example video of Macuomba Kandji’s. Macuomba could certainly post additional footage showing different facets of his game to make himself even more marketable than he has already demonstrated in this video.
Find more videos like this on Ziga-Zoga
Footballers For Peace Can Change The World
October 3, 2007
When you watch the passion displayed in this video think about how this passion could be used as one of the most powerful forces in the world. That force is the passion for FOOTBALL. There is no other energy like it that I have seen on the face of this earth. Ask yourself, how can you give back to football and make an impact in the world. Get Stuck In and support Footballers for Peace! (read more below)
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Tags: footballersfor peace, soccer players for peace,
Check Out The Switch Image Project
October 3, 2007
For a glimpse in the retro and cool new team kits from all over the world, check out the ultra cool blog Swicth Image Project. You can see kits from the past and kits you may have never seen showcased along with a historical perspective or interesting note on the team wearing the kit and more.
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How are you giving back to football? Footballers for Peace Needs You!
October 3, 2007
How are you giving back to football? This is the question I am starting to ask many members of the Ziga-Zoga community. Such a simple action on your part to help someone else is more important than one may think because everyone no matter at what age, skill level or height of game has something they can do to help a fellow footballer.
So, what am I doing to help fellow footballers? Well, for one I am doing all I can with my time and resources to continue building one the best serious footballer communities in the world with a true emphasis on helping others achieve their individual goals and dreams. We have a long way to go and need a lot of help but, we’ll get there with everyone’s help.
Something else I’m doing that I think could make a significant impact in the lives of others is that we are establishing a Foundation called Footballers For Peace and you can learn more here. The original idea for this came from one of our members Philip Kutsu, who was a member of the USL North Carolina Railhawks until he sustained a head injury. Philip and I have started a small fundraising effort just to get enough funds ($1,000) to incorporate and establish the Foundation legally, open a bank account and build a small website, which I am having done by another non-profit organization called Knowbility. Knowbility is about making technology accessible to everyone including people with disabilities.
The logo you see above was created by another member Matt Horton. Again I ask, what are you doing to give back? We’re looking for coaches, nutrition and wellness experts, sports psychologists, physical trainers, club scouts, agents and most of all serious footballers and supporters with various professional skills. If you think you can contribute to the Ziga-Zoga community please come join us and get stuck in!
Please consider donating a couple of dollars to the effort. Thanks, Jason.
