In 2016 young director Gundeep Anand set up a street football tournament with a lofty goal: to unite fractured communities across London. That project, The Last Stand, has since held three tournaments and garnered support from the city’s advertising community, including Droga5.
On The Last Stand’s one-year anniversary, Anand recalled starting it to inspire young people who didn’t believe they could achieve much. Now with his sights set on expanding from West London to Birmingham and beyond, he said he would welcome support from other partners to "change the world."
Dylan Williams, the chief strategy officer of Droga5 London, said the tournament offers a lesson to other brands in operating with purpose.
Brands "can’t interrupt their way into culture anymore," he said. "But if they positively contribute, they’re going to be welcomed in. The Last Stand is such a brand."
Watch Anand and Williams reflect on The Last Stand’s first year in the video above.
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