WE COULDN’T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU
As 2025 draws to a close, it’s time to look back at the moments that defined the Protect Where We Play movement. From new collaborations and community-driven projects to innovative solutions that helped accelerate our mission, 2025 reminded us what’s possible when passion meets action. Here’s a look back at the milestones that shaped our 2025—and the momentum we’re carrying into the year ahead.
We announced 7 Team Ocean Captains representing a cross-section of sports and cultural influence, collectively reaching millions of fans through personal storytelling and community action.
We secured 5 major partnerships with leading teams and leagues. Each partnership includes an in-person activation focusing on sustainability and fan engagement in 2025/2026.
Protect Where We Play will be the official impact campaign partner of the forthcoming documentary film KULEANA, narrated by Woody Harrelson. KULEANA is a cinematic journey into the heart of the ocean plastic crisis, told through the eyes of elite athletes. It harnesses the universal language of sport and uncovers shocking new science from leading oceanographers that reveals the invisible impact of microplastics. The purpose of the impact campaign debuting alongside streaming access in 2026 is to drive movement around ocean protection and plastic reduction.
The “Protect Where We Play Tour,” piloting the switch from single-use plastics to reusable cups at GOAL-operated venues, kicked off in June with a Coldplay concert at Allegiant Stadium. Other tour stops included WNBA All-Star Weekend at Gainbridge Fieldhouse; Billie Eilish at UBS Arena, and The Lumineers at Enmarket Arena.
- The Protect Where We Play Tour was awarded Sport Positive’s “Purpose-led Partnership with a Non-Profit” award in London on October 7 and is projected to keep over one million plastic cups out of the waste stream and provide proof of concept to venues looking to make the switch to reusables a permanent one.
Building off of our plastic reduction efforts, Lumen Field, home of the Seattle Seahawks, worked with Puget Sound Restoration Fund to collect 67.43 pounds of trash for a total of 535 pieces of waste in just two hours. All collected debris was logged using the Clean Swell app to support global data and drive long-term solutions! And in November, we teamed up with the City of Long Beach, and representatives from the USA Artistic Swimming National Team and the U.S. Olympians and Paralympians Association joined 74 local volunteers to remove 769 pounds of trash from Alamitos Beach.
We’d like to end this celebration of our initiative’s wins with a special thanks to our Team Ocean Captains, teams, partners and supporters like you for joining us through it all—this movement wouldn’t be the same without you. Here’s to making even bigger plays together in the seasons ahead!
