Team

Co-founder and CEO

Drew Chafetz

Drew has had a ball at his feet since before he can remember. By the age of 12, he had traveled with his family to 6 continents, finding the game and connecting with kids who shared the same passion. In a small town in Morocco in 2005, Drew saw children playing pickup in a dangerous alley, inspiring him to start love.fútbol. Drew is driven by his gratitude and love for the game and travel, interest in economics and social enterprise, and belief in self-expression as an instrument for personal and community development.

COO

Mano Silva

Football was Mano’s ticket to a higher education in the United States, where he earned a B.A. in Business Administration and a Masters Degree, with emphasis on International Development. Before love.fútbol, he coordinated Development through Sport programs from the Sahara Desert of Niger to the tropical forests of Haiti. Mano has accumulated 14 years of experience in the sports for development sector, leading projects in 12 different countries throughout the Americas, Caribbean and Africa.

Development Director

Breno Lacet

Breno first remembers being amazed by football's incredible potential to mobilize people during the 2002 World Cup. Witnessing the festive atmosphere made up of green and yellow shirts in the streets of Brazil, made him realize that football was more than just a game -- it was about passion and community. He now holds a degree in Political Science and is studying Marketing in Montevideo, Uruguay. Breno has been a part of love.fútbol team since 2012, coordinating our efforts in fundraising and institutional development.

Communications Director

Larissa Brainer

Lari joined love.fútbol in 2015 after meeting part of the core team at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. She's a Brazilian journalist, passionate about communications, books and digital culture. As head of Communications, she is responsible for our messaging and is the #10 maestro behind the #JogaPraElas campaign which shines a light on females playing the beautiful game. She's now based in Uruguay, where she is doing a Master in Business Communications Direction at the Universidad de Montevideo.

Project Manager

Pedro Leal

Pedro has been an internationalist and passionate about football as far as his memory goes. His relationship with love.fútbol began at a Náutico game, his local football club in Brazil, more than 5 years ago. Starting out as a volunteer, and then project apprentice, Pedro is now a Project Coordinator that has identified and mobilized communities in Brazil, Argentina and Mexico. He views every project and community as an opportunity to exchange experiences, learn and grow together, which is his main goal within the organization.

Partnership Manager

Andreza Salgueiro

Sports, especially football, have been always part of her personal and professional life. Since she was a child, playing sports meant more than an exercise, it represented a chance to do something good for others. Carrying that idea over the years, she shaped her career path based on sports. This brought her to build a background in the sports industry with experience in several areas and large events such as FIFA World Cup (2014) and Olympics (Rio 2016) and also to push her to get a masters degree in Sports Management. She is part of the marketing team, driving efforts for sales, evaluation and impact and events.

Project Manager

Flávio Lira

Flavinho is a former professional football player who is passionate about social issues. He has been part of love.fútbol since it started in Brazil (2011) after meeting Mano Silva during a visit to the community football school he continues to run to this day.

Project Manager

Emilio Martinez

Emilio is a Project Manager based in Mexico. He is passionate about community empowerment and has been working with NGOs since 2000. He has experience in a variety of social organizations and also works as a professor of social and educational subjects in various Mexican universities. Emilio says that he resonates deeply with love.fútbol’s mission. He is convinced that every new pitch built offers real chances for positive change in communities and offers the potential to positively shape the trajectory of young people’s growth.

Assistant Project Manager

Manoel S. Neto

Manoel a.k.a Manolo is from Recife, Brazil. Manolo studied Political Science in college, where he learned about love.fútbol through colleagues already working with the organization. Having been a passionate football fan from an early age, and with a deep interest in social work, love.fútbol allows Manolo to channel his passion for the game toward the good of the community.

Financial Assistant

Gabriela Castro

At first, Gabi thought love.fútbol was just a new job opportunity, but being an executive secretary turned out to challenge her in unexpected ways and bring on great learning experiences as she took on new administrative and financial responsibilities. She is not even so passionate about football, but what fills her with pride is being part of an organization that goes beyond sports to overcome barriers and create joy through play for children all over the world.

Global Creative Director

Khoizinho

Khoi B Phan, aka Khoizinho is from Brooklyn, New York. He specializes in product design, creative direction, user experience and brand identity. He worked in-house at the NFL and various guerrilla marketing agencies, currently with AKQA in New York, as a design lead on Nike.