Name: Scoring goals, planting trees: Gambia’s green football win
Uploaded: 2025-11-04T15:45:56.938Z
Duration: 2 min 16 s
Description: In The Gambia, young football players are turning their passion for sport into climate action.

In The Gambia, young football players are turning their passion for sport into climate action.

Banjul

In The Gambia, the Ballers for Life Youth League has initiated the 'Goals for Trees' campaign, where a tree is planted for each goal scored during the football season. This effort is a response to noticeable climate changes in the country, such as higher temperatures and unpredictable rainfall, which are attributed to climate change.

The campaign not only focuses on planting fruit trees but also involves local households in their care, aiming to provide long-term benefits like food and improved sustainability. Since its launch in 2024, the project has exceeded expectations, demonstrating how youth passion for football can contribute to environmental protection.

Scoring goals, planting trees: Gambia’s green football win

The Gambia is football crazy. It's the heartbeat of the country's youth culture. And these young players are not just chasing goals, they're scoring for the planet. The Ballers for Life Youth League launched a nationwide campaign called Goals for Trees. For each goal scored in the league this season, a tree is being planted. Recently, we've realized that the system has changed a little bit, where we experience high temperature and erratic rainfalls here and there. And research shows that a lot of it is attributed to climate change. The goal of the project is not just to plant fruit trees in various households, but also to entrust them to the care of the people living there. The players want to ensure the trees grow, to feed and benefit the families. Footballers like Bouba believe sports should go hand in hand with protecting the environment. After all, athletes especially need clean air and temperate conditions. Nowadays, by three to four, even to five, the sun is always very hot. And that is, I guess, due to the cutting down of trees. Climate change is a problem for everyone in the country or in the world. So as sports people, I encourage all my sportsmates to participate in planting trees for a better future. The project only started in 2024, but it's already exceeding expectations. In a country where football is so big in youth culture, research shows that passion for sports can help protect the planet. Trees are life. Where there are trees, there is life. And where there is no tree, there is no life. So planting these trees will go a long way to helping the families. This is about our life, sustainability. Because whatever is planted here, I believe it will live a long way with the communities. For more UN videos visit www.un.org

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