The Lumineers and GOAL Projects launch limited-edition football shirt celebrating band's 20th anniversary and supporting Football Without Borders Colorado

Internationally renowned and influential band The Lumineers mark their twenty-year anniversary by teaming up with GOAL Projects — a creative studio from the global football media brand GOAL — to create a limited-edition football shirt.

The collaboration is the second release in GOAL Projects’ series with Common Goal pairing iconic musicians with hometown teams in support of grassroots football. The hometown squad in this case is the West Aurora Girls Football Team, a team backed by Football Without Borders (SWB), a national organisation that supports newcomer and immigrant youth to overcome barriers of participation in sports to gain a sense of belonging and build social capital.

The West Aurora team, who will be wearing the Lumineers football shirt for the 2025-26 season, is made up of different refugee communities residing in the Northwest corridor of Aurora, Colorado. Last year’s team represented athletes from 13 different countries and won SWB’s Denver Global Goal 5, a league which is specifically designed to promote greater gender equity in football for newcomer girls.

Fans will spot tributes to the band’s legacy woven throughout the football shirt: album-inspired artwork wrapping each sleeve, a bespoke Lumineers crest that incorporates fan favourites Stubborn Love and Brightside, the band’s signature “eye & vine” motif expanded into a full-body pattern, lyrics from Sleep On The Floor, and the number “05,” marking the year of the band’s formation.

Proceeds from football shirt sales will help cover Football Without Borders’ league fees, new equipment, coaching, and transportation, ensuring football remains free and accessible for every Aurora West player.

“West Aurora’s story of new beginnings resonates so deeply with us,” said Wesley Schultz. “Like these players, we found our home and our creative family in Colorado. Through this project, we want to celebrate their grit and support their dreams, on the pitch and beyond.”

The Lumineers, who have been on their 44-date Automatic World Tour across North America headlining stadiums, arenas, and amphitheatres, recently surprised the West Aurora players with one of their road cases which contained new kits, autographed football shirts and a video message recorded from the band.

“Football Without Borders was founded to use football as a common language — a way to build community and foster inclusion,” said Matt Kaiser, Director of SWB Colorado. “For a band as beloved as The Lumineers to reach out, see us, and form this bridge through our language of football means the world to SWB’s participants. We are so excited to see SWB’s West Aurora girls take the pitch in these new football shirts this season.” West Aurora girls head coach, Erin Crossley, added “I’ve had the privilege as this team’s head coach to see them come so far with not only their football skills, but also their English development, confidence, and leadership. It was so rewarding for me to see this incredible group receive this special recognition from The Lumineers and to see their joy and excitement as they saw their new football shirts for the first time.”

The team is one of a handful supported by Football Without Borders who has a strong Colorado presence, serving over 900 youth in the state with free football, academic, and leadership programmes, creating space for belonging and growth on and off the pitch.

The Lumineers have long championed social causes, from environmental, sustainability and human rights to youth mental health, music education, and hunger relief. In Colorado, they organised Colorado Gives Back — a livestreaming event featuring hometown musicians and athletes, supporting musicians and restaurant workers affected by COVID-19.

“The Lumineers embody the perfect mix of artistic authenticity and social purpose,” said Jake Cohen, founder of GOAL Projects. “This collaboration made sense on every level. Jeremiah’s connection to youth football and lifelong love of the game was icing on the cake. As was witnessing him pull out a flawless rainbow kick before a recent concert.”

To ensure that each collaboration effectively addresses a local need and helps create a lasting impact, GOAL Projects has partnered with Common Goal, the award-winning global movement that is activating the power of football to bring people together and deliver positive society-wide change, collectively engaging 3.6 million young people annually in over 100 countries. The Lumineers football shirt follows the partners’ limited-edition September release with Anderson .Paak, which supported the Oxnard Eagles, a U-9 girls’ team from the artist’s hometown of Oxnard, California.

“Creativity and collaboration are at the heart of every song and every football match. We are incredibly excited to be a part of this unique collaboration with GOAL, connecting the two powerful forces of football and music, and translating these into tangible opportunities for youth at Football Without Borders,” said Mary Connor, Executive Director of Common Goal USA.

The Lumineers x GOAL Projects football shirt is available now at goalprojects.goal.com.