The Globe and Mail
The events below are previous actions by us

GemGem

We are the playful activist football event maker behind the Global Goals World Cup and the SDG ball.

Eir Soccer

Global Goals World Cup Buy the ball
promise

Eir’s promise is to embrace all safe, competitive, and playful aspects of soccer

christian-eriksen

If soccer was like most other sports…


If soccer like most other sports would adjust the game according to gender, and if women would continue to play the size 5 ball – then men would have to play a larger ball.

Size matters. Imagine me playing with a size 7 ball.
Christian Eriksen, Inter pro and Danish national team

ggwcup

Global Goals World Cup

193 world leaders commit to 17 Global Goals


On September 25th 2015, 193 world leaders committed to 17 Global Goals for sustainable development to achieve 3 extraordinary things in the next 15 years: End extreme poverty; Fight inequality and injustice; Fix climate change. In all countries. For all people.

Global Goals 4 Image: The 17 UN Global Goals. Read more

Everyone needs to know about it. Eir has teamed up with UN Global Goals and developed the Eir Global Goals ball.

Donate

Global Goals World Cup: Play For Change


This is the first ever women’s amateur World Cup. We play for fun, for glory and for the 17 UN Global Goals. With the Global Goals, every nation in the world has committed themselves to work together to end poverty, fight inequality and stop climate change.

Video

Self-discovery and playful interaction through sports is one of the most empowering ways to restore dignity, unity and hope. Therefore, together, we connect women around the world through soccer. We play for fun, for glory and for the UN Global Goals. Let’s make some noise for the world we want!

Learn more about the Global Goals World Cup

Global Goals logo incl Eir

 

Dizzy Goals


The ‘Dizzy Goals‘ challenge has been launched to raise awareness about the Global Goals. We’re asking everyone to join the biggest team ever and help us to Tell Everyone about the goals. Watch the videos to see participants doing ‘a dizzy penalty for the Global Goals’.

More dizzy goals
ggimpactgames

Global Goals Impact Games

Video

Involving the young generations


The Global Goals stand still without action. Global Goals Impact Games are about togetherness and understanding the UN 17 Global Goals by playing ball.

Soccer is one of the world’s most powerful tools to communicate and implement change. Through soccer we can enhance curiosity, build health, develop the mind and trust amongst each other.

Global Goals Impact Games will inspire children, coaches, teachers and players to help take actions for the Global Goals locally and globally.

Global Goals Impact Games: Drills and Games


Impact Games and drills blend The Global Goals perspective with known football drills and games.

The drills and games are developed by coaches and players of all ages and can be adjusted to fit anyone in any school, club at any place.

You can pick one, two, or three Impact Games for a 15-20 min fun physically activity in another lesson, or you can create a series of sessions so the students gets a deeper understanding of the 17 Global Goals.

 

Learn more about the Global Goals Impact Games

GemGem

asylum-united

Asylum United

In 2011 we established Asylum United; a weekly soccer practice for refugee women living in asylum camps in Denmark who would attended games and tournaments on a national level.

The refugee teams also joined our Sensational street soccer tournament at Roskilde Music Festival. The event hosts 120 women soccer teams camping for three days.

Today Asylum United has grown into its own organisation in Denmark and is run by a brilliant group of women. Everywhere we go, we organize events and reach out to women living in refugee situations to invite them to come share experiences, play and be part of the local soccer.

Go here for support or more information about Asylum United

Soccer for women Asylum United 03 logo

do-democracy

Do Democracy

Do democracy image

Celebrating women’s right to vote. 100 Years.


Over the coming years countries around the world will celebrate their 100 years anniversary of women’s right to vote. To celebrate the event Eir created a new soccer game performed in Copenhagen at our 100 years celebration: The Do Democracy game. In Do Democracy soccer we apply democratic and playful rules that motivate the attending teams to get to know each other and understand that players have a voice – the teams unite to jointly decide 5 rules of soccer to play by in a specific match. The rules to choose from are endless. 

balls-for-change

Balls for change

Global Goals

Supports UN/UNDP and partners in spreading the 17 Global Goals

Do Democracy

Raises funds for a program that teaches players to use their voice 

Art Rebel

Raises funds and awareness for RedCross Asylum United, the first women’s refugee soccer league 

Girl Be Heard & Karma

An initiative supporting performances by girl refugees from Afghanistan and other war torn countries in cooperation with US State Department

Eir Black

Raised funds for an Afghan women’s and men’s national team bus. 

partnerships

Partnerships

Over the years we have worked with NGO’s, corporates and smaller companies, governments, music festivals and thousands of amazing people and even more thousands of amazing players.

Thank you Red Cross, UNDP, Save The Children, Women Deliver, hummel, Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Denmark, Danish Football Association, Roskilde Festival, Distortion, Coca Cola, Cover, Eurowoman, Elle Magazines, Loreal, US, State Department, City of Copenhagen, Danish FA, German FA, University of Århus, University of Copenhagen, Plan, Gain, Ganni and many others for endless trust, support and participation.

#TheGoodLuckBall
Image: Snapshots from our collaboration with Ganni, the Elle brand of the year

Sponsors

Image: Some of our sponsors

Be a fundraiser 
testimonials
  • This ball makes women’s soccer more attractive to look at with faster passes and longer kicks. I have played with the ball for a season now. I kick significantly longer with the Eir ball than with an ordinary ball – and I have done some brilliant headers this season. I have also tested the ball in small sided games and was positively surprised that it was fast, yet controllable.

    Cathrine Paaske, national team player
  • I agree 100 % this would change the game for women. My outside left back was able to strike the ball behind the right back into the empty space for the right outside back to get into the attack. That is a 35 yard distance. This would not happen with a standard ball.

    Carlos Mejia, elite coach, Westchester, NY
  • Eir has proven that they know how to fuse the energy and vibe of fashion and lifestyle with sports making it a kind of Woodstock Football Festival event where people play or watch football. Each year I get more and more amazed when I see how much the 1,000+ women invest in the game. We really are very proud sponsors and co-promoters of this cool event.

    Christian Stadil, shareholder and chairman of Hummel

 

about

About

We can create a better world through sport


Soccer is one of the world’s most powerful communication tools. We reshape the landscape of sports through soccer – always guided by our promise.

Eir’s promise is to embrace all safety, competitive, and playful aspects of soccer. We are committed to raising awareness of gender equality and access to all in soccer, which has lead us to:

Use soccer and the ball as a means of creating a better world where poverty or other unsustainable conditions exist.

Stand up against the severe injuries as well as gender stereotype in soccer – and support women to live a full life with soccer.

Our brand ‘EIR’ is inspired by Nordic mythology: Eir is a goddess and valkyrie associated with medical skill and a healing goddess.

Eir Soccer Clara at Roskilde Music Festival

Eir infographic 4

 

Faster play. Longer stay.

Today young girls and women are playing soccer with a men’s size soccer ball. Most other sports like basketball, golf, tennis, and hurdle race have adjusted equipment to give players the best chance to succeed. In soccer, players aged 14-19 suffer one serious injury per year. With a 90% chance of a suffering second injury, many of them retire from the game before they ever reach their prime. The Eir balls have been developed to fit women’s size and weight, to reduce injuries and enable a faster game. 
  

Ball type 
Eir 
Standard size 5

Ball speed 
6% faster 
Average
Long passes 
13% longer 
Average
Wear and tear injuries 
Low 
High
Heart rate 
Remains low
Very high
Head acceleration level 
15% below concussions
Above concussions
Weight 
368 grams (13.0 oz.)
435 grams (15.4 oz.)
Circumference 
67 cm (26.4 in)
69 cm (27.2 in)

 

Today, we know that there are 6x as many injuries in women’s soccer as in men’s and that women suffer more head injuries in soccer than men do in ice hockey.
Eir

The Eir ball is the product of three years of research by scientists in Denmark and Germany supported by the German and Danish football/soccer associations. The Danish Football Association has granted permission to play with the ball for all age groups except for the pro adult league.

This is still a BIG secret … 🙂


Soccer fashion 01

As is the case of the Eir ball, fashion and gear will be a cornerstone of our mission.


Model and soccer player, Josephine Skriver, in New York supporting Asylum United.

Events for a good cause

Inclusive model 2
Our inclusive model guides our events in general. In some projects, however, we pay particular attention to important issues such as the UN Global Goals, gender equality, and other sustainability issues. These projects are organized in close cooperation with partners such as:

Logo UNDP
Logo ministry of foreign affairs of denmark

By offering both safe, competitive, and playful ways of playing soccer we increase the ability, confidence, and desire to be active.

Inclusion is not just a philosophy. It’s a commitment to new traditions.
Project Play | The Aspen Institute

Our latest event series is the Global Goals World cup.

Go to Global Goals World Cup

 

Music festival events

For the last five years we have gathered thousands of soccer playing girls, a large crowd of spectators for a three day street soccer event – at the 100,000+ people Roskilde Music Festival.

To us, creating events at music festivals is brilliantly fun.

Eir nominated Best Grassroots Project.
by UEFA

To see pictures from Roskilde Festivals go to our Facebook page (you will find previous events at our previous Facebook page) or our Flickr page. To see videos from previous years, go to our YouTube channel.


 

Urban Events


Sports event developed and facilitated for the City of Copenhagen and the International Olympic Committee.

ver the years we have created +50 city tournaments together with fashion stores, media companies, gowernmental bodies and charity organizations.

There is no doubt that it’s beneficial for the City of Copenhagen to support Eir Org. It’s brilliant city branding. As a city, we want to be known for hosting such events. Eir Org is fun, creates friendships and networks and inspires us to be active and creative. I have worked with the people behind this sensational event in regards to the Climate Summit for Mayors, that I hosted last December and they have a strong flair in making people feel that they are connected and doing something that matters.
Former Lord Mayor of Copenhagen Ritt Bjerregaard

 

Camps

Camps are a great chance to both learn and have fun. With our camps we set up an environment for fun and teaching soccer skills as well as a broader understanding of the game. We equip girls with a soccer intelligence that enables them to make the best decisions on and of the field. We always play with Eir Soccer balls that match their maturity and enables them to play safer and faster. This gives the players new ways of using their technical skills both individually and as part of a team. We organize camps lasting two hours to three days subject to age groups:

4-7 years (Angel Dust Camps)
 7-9 years
10-14 years.

The camp concepts have been developed in cooperation with former professional players such as Becca Todd – national beach soccer team player; Futbolistas Coaching Director, and sports scientist who has volunteered making kids smile all over the world – and Bettina Falk – former Danish national team player with 86 caps; FIFA end UEFA licensed soccer coach.

Camp shot 01

 

Soccer Fitness

Nytårscup 2014
occer fitness programs aim at anyone who wants to learn or refresh skills, have fun and get a brilliant workout. College students, moms, players or non-players at all ages will benefit.

We conduct pop-up, indoor and outdoor soccer fitness classes running 2-12 weeks. Talk to us about great activities at your school, college or company.

Soccer fitness may also be planned in addition to the soccer camps for the young girls as a 2 hour training for parents while their girls are at camp.

Soccer fitness 01

Physical literacy and health

From a health-perspective, soccer has important benefits, such as reduced risk of obesity and diabetes, but also includes an inherent risk of injury. Since 2008 we have conducted research of injuries and ball behaviour together with scientists in Europe.
Using share of voice as a measure of the public opinion on sports injuries and sports health – the concern has reached a level that has launched a hunt for answers to concussions, ACL tears and better ways of playing sport among health professionals, players, parents and other stakeholders.

 

Key facts

Most other sports – e.g. basketball, hedge and golf – have adjusted the game/and equipment to women to give the performer the best chance to succeed. Football/soccer stands out as one of the few sports where gender equality adjustment remains.

 

Sport 
Women 
Men 

Basketball weight
325-375 g 
567-650 g 
Basketball circum
54-56 cm
74,9-78 cm
Handball weight 
325-375 g 
425-475 g 
Handball circum 
54-56 cm 
58-60 cm
Athletics: Hedge 
84 cm 
106,7 cm 
Athletics: Hammer et al. 
4 kg 
7,26 kg 
Athletics: Javelin 
600 g 
800 g 

 

The average female soccer player aged 14-19 suffers one injury per year.

There are up to 6x as many injuries in women’s soccer as in men’s.

Women suffer more head injuries in soccer than men do in ice hockey with the number of head injuries second only to men’s football/soccer.

With a 90% chance of a suffering second injury, many players retire from the game before they ever reach their prime.

When women kick a standard size 5 ball they lift the leg too high. This makes it difficult to create speed and puts stress on the knee alone instead of spreading stress over both knee and hip.

Women’s head acceleration when heading a standard size 5 ball is above the level where concussions can occur.

If a specific player is able to kick a standard size 5 ball 33 meters, then the same player can kick the Eir ball 37.4 meters (13% longer).

A 20-meter pass (not touching the ground) will take 0.91 seconds with a standard size 5 ball and 0.85 seconds (6% less) with an Eir ball.

Ball speed is higher when kicking the Eir ball vis-à-vis a standard size 5 ball (23.9 m/s vs. 22.5 m/s) – given no difference in the foot speed.

50% of the players find the Eir ball better than the standard size 5 ball and 86% of all respondents respond positively to the Eir ball.

In long passes the Eir ball moves particularly better.

Nearly half of all respondents stress that when playing with the Eir ball, they have a better feeling than with the standard size 5 ball.

66% of the players think it is more fun to play with the Eir ball.

 

Research: Injury-incidence, heart rates and concussions

 

Research: Biomechanics of kicking – male vs. female kicking

The increase in level of sports injuries, particularly tears to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of the knee, increases risk of osteoarthritis, even if it is surgically repaired.

 

Among female soccer players who had sustained acl injuries, more than half developed x-ray signs of osteoarthritis in the following 12 years.
Marci A. Goolsby, MD, Attending Physician, Dept. of Medicine (Sports Medicine), Hospital for Special Surgery

 

Injury-incidence in adolescent female soccer is 15.3 per 1.000 hours of soccer-exposure. This is extremely high.

The level of wear & tear injuries is high. Strain of legs are higher  with a standard ball 5 than with the Eir ball (5.2 vs. 3.7).

Too long time is spent at high heart rates. Players unaccustomed to the Eir ball spent more relative time over 95% of HRmax and less relative time in 80-90% of HRmax, when playing with a standard ball 5.

Head acceleration will be significantly lower – even at an increased ball speed – when using the Eir ball with lower mass vis-a-vis the standard ball 5.


Female kickers tend to move both the thigh and the shank towards the ball, whereas the male kickers only rotate their shank. Changing the movement with the Eir ball can remove pressure on the female knee close to zero.


Testing of the ball at Oure Sports and Performance school:

With the new women’s football/soccer ball, elite women kick the ball with 4% higher ball velocity.

Elite male football/soccer players achieve maximal ball speeds of approximately 30 m/s when kicking under laboratory conditions. Female players, however, only achieve speeds of up to 22 m/s.

 

When the eir ball is hit well, you can pass it further and more precise – both in the air and on the ground. The dribbling is faster and safer, especially when changing direction.
Tina Theune, former national team coach for Germany, six times European UEFA cup winner and one time FIFA world cup winner

 

If a player is able to kick a standard size 5 ball 33 meters, then the same player can kick the Eir ball 37.4 meters (13% longer).

A 20-meter pass (not touching the ground) will take 0.91 seconds with a standard size 5 ball and 0.85 seconds (6% less) with an Eir ball.

Research: Ability, confidence and desire

Fifty (50)% of the players find the Eir ball better vis-a-vis a standard 5 ball.

86% of all respondents respond positively to the Eir ball.

Nearly half of all respondents stress that when playing with the Eir ball they have a better feeling.

66% think it is more fun to play with the Eir ball.

60% want to continue to play with the Eir ball

53% say that playing with the Eir ball is a special experience.

Science


Further research documentation may be revealed upon request. Contact us.


inclusive-model

We can create a better world through sport

 

 

 

 

By offering both safe, competitive, and playful ways of playing soccer we increase the ability, confidence, and desire to be active. We call it the ‘inclusive model’.

Inclusion is not just a philosophy. It’s a commitment to new traditions.
Project Play | The Aspen Institute

 

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Safer soccer for all

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If you have any questions, comments or if you would like to send us a ball design or a love letter - you can do it here.