What do Calacus and Harry Kane have in common?
Calacus was established to support sports organisations and individuals who want to make a positive difference in the world.
As Nelson Mandela said at the inaugural Laureus World Sports Awards: “Sport has the power to change the world”.
While sport can excite and inspire, clubs, sponsors and athletes are increasingly using their platforms for the benefit of others.
That can come in many forms, from helping those who are disadvantaged to highlighting societal issues.
We have seen some incredible sporting initiatives over the course of the year – with Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford standing out in the UK for his initiatives addressing child hunger.
But 2020 has also seen the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement and sports stars echoing the actions of former NFL star Colin Kaepernick by taking the knee to highlight police brutality, inequality and prejudice.
There is a train of thought that sport should stick to sport and leave other issues to politicians and charities.
England men’s football captain Harry Kane, one of the most famous sports people in Britain, recently explained why he thinks it is important to take a stand.
“I don’t like it when people say we should just play football and stick to kicking a ball. We are a huge platform to share our voices across the world,” he said.
“I hear people talking about taking the knee and whether we should still be doing it and for me I think we should. Our voices should be heard and all we want to do is help and make the world a better place.
“When you look around the world, there may be kids watching the game for the first time, seeing us take the knee and asking their parents or the adults in their life why are we taking the knee.
“Education is the biggest thing we can do to teach generations what it means to be together and help each other no matter what your race.
“The more education younger generations get, hopefully as time goes by, racism will be a thing of the past and that has got to be the aim.”
Calacus works with a range of organisations that use sport as a tool to provide education, inspiration and opportunity, particularly to young people.
Sport has an unusual ability to break down barriers and provide cut-through and we also work with organisations who use their platforms to support disadvantaged groups and individuals and seek to make a positive change.
Kane believes that his England team-mates, Rashford and Raheem Sterling, should be applauded for their efforts to help communities and fight racism.
Kane added: “When you are in football you see a lot of the work that footballers do for communities and charities.
“I know first-hand that players are doing an awful lot and what Marcus and Raheem have done is incredible.
“As England captain and a leader playing for Spurs and living in such as diverse country, I have to be that support and that voice, and I am here for that.
“We want to help and make a change and the only way to do that is to stick together and use our voice to try and help make that change.”
While Kane has at times been accused of not having the personality of some of football’s more charismatic stars, it’s a mark of the man that he rarely makes headlines for the wrong reasons.
Earlier this year, he joined forces with former club Leyton Orient by sponsoring their shirts and donating the advertising space to the NHS, mental health charity Mind, and Haven House Children's Hospice.
At Calacus, we help our clients to make meaningful contributions when engaging with corporate social responsibility activities, rather than just token gestures.
Kane does not have a vast number of personal sponsors, instead focusing on a few partners that mean something to him.
Last year, he sat down with a sports psychiatrist to discuss mental health as part of a collaboration with shaving brand Harry’s.
Like Rashford and Sterling, Kane continues to be a great role model for youngsters across the UK and deserves all of the plaudits coming his way.