Welcome to the 'American Fútbol' Project
Hello there. Thanks for clicking on our links and stuff. We appreciate your curiosity.
So you came here thinking, 'What the heck is American Fútbol? And now you're also thinking, 'Why do I have a sneaking suspicion they want my money?'
Well let me explain these concerns, and many other things.
'American Fútbol' is a documentary about two American journalists, Peter Karl and Sam Mathius (formerly of The Third Kit), who are going to travel from the United States to Brazil for the World Cup. Along the way, they’ll be stopping in nations that qualified for the tournament to share unique stories that explain Latin America’s intense passion for ‘fútbol’.
Our goal is to provide American soccer fans a genuine look into where this devotion comes from. But why? Because there are roughly 54 million Latinos in the United States, each one of them with roots in a country where fútbol is a main thread in their social fabric.
For this reason, as the United States develops as a soccer nation, it’s likely to build on an already distinct Latin flavor. Be it Mexican, Costa Rican, Colombian or Brazilian, each one of these cultures brings a different spice to our unique soccer dynamic. We believe exploring exactly where their ‘futbol fanatacism’ comes from can help define our ‘football identity’.
And really, when is a better time to do this then next summer, when Brazil hosts the first World Cup on the American continent in 20 years, and the last for at least the next 12 (see: Russia 2018, Qatar 2022)?
We understand there are many reasons why soccer is growing in the United States. Increased media coverage, a very well-managed and marketed domestic league, and changing demographics are among them. In terms of the latter, the Latin American influence is the major driving force, and one we want to help better understand.
How? We’ll tap into these cultures
through interviews with clubs, league officials, players, journalists and fans.
We do speak Spanish, by the way, and relish breaking a language barrier that
separates the US from these Latin cultures.
OK, why us? Good question. Because one of us is a journalist who has worked and lived in Bogotá, Colombia for the last year (Peter), another is a lifelong soccer fanatic and bizarrely knowledgable writer (Sam), and the last member is an experienced film producer and international traveller (Petar). But most importantly, we are best friends and we really believe in this idea.
Lastly, the money. This is an ambitious project, and we aren’t dilusional. We will be relying mostly on the American soccer community to help fund this project, which has a fundraising goal of $100,000. Though we will be pursuing possible sponsorships, we are accepting donation through Paypal and Dwolla. There will also be a Kickstarter/IndieGoGo campaign early next year.
As we’ll be driving down most of the Pan-American Highway, these funds cover our vehicle and fuel costs, as well as food, production/protection gear, etc. Our journey would begin in April and finish at the end of the World Cup in July.
So, if you’re into this idea, please donate and spread the word. There’s a lot of work to do, but today, we’re just happy to start building our community, a task we want you to help us with.
Also, keep an eye on this blog. It will be our canvas for story research as well as US and Latin American soccer news. We’ll also be posting regular updates about the project.
Entonces, that’s the gist of the American Fútbol project. We hope you follow us here, and on our journey.
Feel free to contact us with any questions/tips/ideas at all. We need all the help we can get!
Email: americanfutbolmovie@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/americanfutbolmovie
Twitter: https://twitter.com/futbolmovie