The Beautiful Game turned into a force for social change

Americas Now

The Beautiful Game turned into a force for social change

Modern football was invented in England in the late XIX century, spreading rapidly around the world. Perhaps no other country adopted it as faithfully as Argentina, where it has become a national obsession. Buenos Aires, for example, is the city with the largest number of football clubs in the planet.

This is the story of the love of an Englishman for one of Argentina’s oldest football institutions, and the way he has channeled the mobilizing power of the sport to influence positive change.

A teacher with the NGO Teach for All, Henry May became a fan of Club Atletico Huracan while living in Buenos Aires. Upon his return to London in 2009, he decided to found Huracan’s sister club in Brixton, a borough in the southern side of the British capital, and then used the team as a way to help social projects in Argentina and around the world through the Huracan Foundation.

Henry May of the Huracan Foundation is this week’s Game Changer.