One Goal: How Soccer Can Help Save the Planet

Our team spirit and passion for soccer can inspire action for a more sustainable future on -- and off -- the pitch.

Publishing in advance of the 2026 World Cup, One Goal is a timely look at how soccer players, organizations, clubs and fans are taking action to do better for the planet.

A college pitch in Nigeria uses the kinetic energy of players running over special tiles to power the field's floodlights. South Africa uses local soccer fields to collect, store and clean rainwater for drinking. China built a high-speed bullet train to run between cities during the Asian Games, side-stepping high-emission air travel. Thousands of Belgian fans cycle to games instead of driving. New regulations about water breaks and game cancellations have been put into play to protect players from extreme heat.

From "drag and drop" stadiums, to seats made from recycled fish nets, to plant-based game-day food, soccer has an opportunity to lead by example and convince the global community that, by working together, we can create a better future. Includes a game plan of how readers can help, too.

Key Text Features

illustrations

author's note

bibliography

definitions

explanation

facts

further reading

glossary

introduction

Correlates to the Common Core States Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.7

Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.3

Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.6

Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text.

HEATHER CAMLOT is the award-winning author of multiple books for young people, including the nonfiction The Prisoner and the Writer and the novels The Other Side and Clutch, the latter of which was named among Kirkus's Best Middle-Grade Historical Fiction. A journalist for more than twenty years, she has written, edited and translated for Quill & Quire, Owl, TV Guide Canada and Style at Home, among others. Originally from Montreal, she lives in Toronto, Ontario, with her family.

DREW SHANNON has illustrated many books, including Are We There Yet? by Maria Birmingham, the Montague Twins graphic novel series written by Nathan Page and This Is Your Brain on Stereotypes by Tanya Lloyd Kyi. He has also illustrated for the New York Times, Vox, NPR, the Globe and Mail and the Washington Post, among others. He lives in Toronto, Ontario, with his cat, Ripley.