In September 2007, PUMA announced a long-term partnership with the British non-profit organization Peace One Day at Peace One Day’s gala hosted at London’s Royal Albert Hall. PUMA’s commitment was based on the organizations’ shared values such as inclusiveness, leadership, passion, and willingness to push boundaries. Filmmaker, Jeremy Gilley began Peace One Day (POD) as a film project to establish an annual day of global ceasefire and non-violence. In 2001 Peace One Day’s efforts were rewarded when the United Nations unanimously adopted the first-ever day of global ceasefire and non-violence on September 21st—Peace Day.

The first ‘One Day One Goal’ match was initiated during the January 2008 activities in Ghana. Through this collaborative initiative, PUMA and Peace One Day asked people around the world to play football on September 21st, with each match celebrating cooperation, unity and the power of football to bring people together in peace. The aim of the ‘One Day One Goal’ initiative is to encourage people to play football all over the world, whether in major stadiums, local pitches, in the streets, on the beach, in the office, at home… it doesn’t matter. 215 matches took place in countries across the globe in honor of the Day, many supported by PUMA-sponsored club teams and top talent.

“We support the aim of Peace One Day and want to make a contribution to the generation of global peace on one day,” said Jochen Zeitz, PUMA CEO and Chairman, “We are delighted to be a strong and long-term partner of this exemplary initiative.” To help raise visibility and awareness of Peace Day, PUMA launched the PUMA Peace One Day Football Collection, which was unveiled at the African Cup of Nations in January 2008. PUMA’s established relationships with its African football teams ensured this exciting football collection was seen on some of Africa’s leading players throughout the tournament. A portion of the profits generated by the collection were donated to Peace One Day. PUMA’s long-term goal is to source all products related to this collection in Africa.

As a direct result of Peace One Day’s campaign in 2007, parties in Afghanistan recognized Peace Day resulting in 1.4 million Afghanistan children being vaccinated against polio. In the past two years, 100 million people in over 200 countries were engaged in Peace Day activities and in 14 of those countries, efforts were targeted towards providing life-saving activities and medical services on the Day. PUMA has worked alongside Peace One Day since 2007 and has developed a Peace One Day collection of products available in stores in September to benefit the non-profit organization.

Check out the teams and locations where games were played in 2008

South African soccer legend Doc Khumalo is “Ready to Play” in aid of peace. Photo credit Darren Alexander

Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder and striker, Surprise Moriri, supports One Day One Goal. Photo credit Darren Alexander

 Lenny Kravitz performing at the Peace One Day concert. Photo credit JP Pariente

On September 19, the Grand Rex Theatre in Paris, packed to capacity, played host to the Peace One Day Concert. Televised by Canal, the concert included a new video on One Day One Goal and puma.peace’s ongoing support of this initiative.

Representatives from both PUMA and adidas were present and sat side by side as Jeremy Gilley, Peace One Day director, announced the PUMA / adidas peace initiative and the funds that it will provide for peace education at schools in Germany and beyond. Well-known French actress Aissa Maiga acted as puma.peace ambassador for the evening explaining to the cheering audience the full scope of puma.peace’s global engagement.

Actress Aissa Maiga as puma.peace Ambassador. Photo credit JP Pariente

An impressive line-up of musicians including Charlie Winston, Ayo, Lenny Kravitz, Kasabian, Olivia Ruiz and Keziah Jones performed live on stage in aid of Peace One Day

Keziah Jones performing at the Peace One Day concert. Photo credit JP Pariente

Ayo performing at the Peace One Day concert. Photo credit JP Pariente

Charlie Winston performing at the Peace One Day concert. Photo credit JP Pariente

It was a historic game against an unusual backdrop: Under the leadership of the two chief executives Herbert Hainer (midfielder) and Jochen Zeitz (goalkeeper), employees of both adidas and PUMA played football together and against each other on Monday, Global Peace Day, in Herzogenaurach. With the support of 700 employees of both groups, the “Black” team of the two CEOs beat the “White” team 7:5 in a fascinating game. In support of the peace initiative PEACE ONE DAY the two sportswear companies sent a fun and unique signal of amicable cooperation. 

Chief Executives: Herbert Hainer (midfielder) and Jochen Zeitz (goalkeeper)

Both teams, which were made up of 40 employees of both competitors as well as a few local journalists, demonstrated their support for PEACE ONE DAY on the premises of the adidas headquarters and proved that sport can help overcome boundaries and promote a peaceful cohabitation. 

„Our joint football match in support of PEACE ONE DAY and Global Peace Day was a unique experience for the participating players and our employees. It showed that  everyone – and companies as well – can make their contribution to peace,” said the two  Chief Executives Jochen Zeitz and Herbert Hainer. “The symbolic handshake of adidas and PUMA helped to raise awareness for Global Peace Day and the necessity for non-violence and ceasefire.”  

Particularly for this memorable football game, adidas and PUMA had created a football kit in black and white that sported adidas’ three stipe logo as well as PUMA’s leaping cat. The kit is part of a limited collection of 80 pieces, that will be auctioned for PEACE ONE DAY.

Football celebrity Alexander Hleb, player of German premier league club VfB Stuttgart and captain of the Belarus national team, supported the initiative by signing autographs and giving PEACE ONE DAY footballs to the fans onsite.   

Following the match adidas and PUMA employees went together to PUMA’s Brand Center in Nuremberg to watch the movie „The Day after Peace“ by British actor and director Jeremy Gilley.  

 Last weekend, both companies had already taken the message and idea of PEACE ONE DAY into the football stadiums of Munich and Stuttgart. During the halftimes of the German premier league games FC Bayern Munich - 1. FC Nuremberg and VfB Stuttgart - 1. FC Cologne adidas and PUMA employees took part in a penalty shoot out with former premier league goalkeeper Walter Junghans and shared PEACE ONE DAY ball with the fans.   

The companies adidas and PUMA were founded by the brothers Rudolf and Adi Dassler in the 1940s. Until they separated and went their own ways, they both owned a factory called “Gebrüder Dassler Sportschuhfabrik” where they together manufactured sports shoes – quite successfully as the world records of Jesse Owens proved. In the last decades, adidas and PUMA became worldwide leading brands. Both companies are still based in Herzogenaurach, Germany.  

Sportlifestyle company PUMA and the non-profit organisation Peace One Day urge football fans across the globe to tackle violence head-on by organising matches to mark Peace Day on 21 September.

On Peace Day 2009, the organiser Peace One Day and PUMA – through its PUMAVision program puma.peace–want to see matches played in every country of the world. People of all levels of sporting skill can get involved–they just need to get teams together and register the game on www.peaceoneday.org. The first match registered from each country will win a free PUMA fair trade One Day One Goal football and PUMA T-shirt for the captains of each team.

Each match will celebrate cooperation, unity and the power of football to bring people together in peace. The aim of the ‘One Day One Goal’ initiative is to encourage people to play football all over the world, whether in major stadiums, local pitches, in the streets, on the beach, in the office, at home - it doesn’t matter. 

“We are delighted to support the Peace One Day campaign,” Jochen Zeitz, CEO and chairman of PUMA said. “We want to make a contribution to the generation of global peace and we are proud to be a strong and long-term partner of this exemplary initiative.”

Through the PUMAVision program puma.peace, PUMA launched the initiative “One Day One Goal” at the African Cup of Nations in Ghana in 2008 to help raise visibility and awareness of Peace Day with puma.peace being the primary sponsor.  More than 400 football matches took place in more than 180 countries; the Iraqi army vs. the Kurdish Peshmerga; Tijuana vs. California, to name just two.

“I am delighted to be working with PUMA once again on One Day One Goal,” says Jeremy Gilley, founder of Peace One Day. “It represents the perfect opportunity for individuals, communities and nations to rise above violence, conflict and differences to celebrate a shared passion and a common goal.”

Gilley has been campaigning tirelessly towards Peace Day for 10 years–in 2001 he convinced all United Nations member states, resulting in a resolution being passed establishing 21 September as Peace Day–and the event is growing in strength every year.

“One Day One Goal is a vital part of this global event,” says Gilley, “There will also be a peace concert in Paris, educational activities and film screenings to spread the message that peace really can happen.”

In support of Peace One Day and as a pledge to promote peace through goodwill matches played around the world on Global Cease-fire Day (“Peace Day”), Puma is proud to continue its relationship with this vital organization.

Stemming from the vision and efforts of filmmaker Jeremy Gilley, in 2001 the U.N. passed a resolution to establish September 21 as Peace Day. Last year, more than 100 million people in 192 countries participated in Peace Day activities.

Learn more about Peace One Day at http://www.peaceoneday.org

Footage from a One Day One Goal soccer match in the Ivory Coast on September 21, 2008