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This year (like any year ending in an even number) is a big one for sport. The UEFA Euro 2016 tournament kicks off this Friday the 10th June, and football haters everywhere will jump on the bandwagon and rally to support their country.
It's not all about the big cups, however. Football unites people across the globe because, unlike sports that require expensive equipment or particular conditions, football is anyone's game. All you really need is two sweatshirts for goal posts and a flat piece of land.
This thread of universal opportunity – through rich and poor, women and men, able-bodied and disabled – is the core to adidas-supported project GoalClick. Their mission is to "find one person from every country in the world and provide them with one analogue camera to take photos that symbolise football in their country."
Every participant has been provided with a disposable film camera, pre-paid postage and free rein to photograph what football means to them. There's something incredibly special about a simple disposable camera; it's like school uniform – a bit shit, but democratises the project so that everyone involved, regardless of background, gets an equal opportunity.
We found the stories moving, and the football element almost disintegrates when the over-riding feeling of unity between people in different geographical locations is so evident. Gender equality is a big theme in the project too, since the organisers involved as many women as possible in order to neutralise the fact that football is generally seen as a male-dominated sport.
Project creator Matt expects the that GoalClick will have covered every country in the world by 2018, but, in the meantime, they are exhibiting the work during the Euro 2016 Tournament, between the 10th of June and the 10th of July, at BL_NK, 25-27 Curtain Road, London, EC2A 3LT. You can also follow them on Instagram @GoalClick.
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