GOAL MTL 2025 is where football meets community, culture, and good causes

Paul Desbaillets doesn’t do anything halfway. If you know him, it’s likely through the Burgundy Lion Group, or The 1st Half podcast, or his radio show on TSN 690, or as the guy who’s probably watched more live football than anyone else in the city. But for the past 15 years, he’s also been behind something quieter, bigger, and arguably more meaningful: The GOAL Initiatives Foundation.

On Sunday, July 27, GOAL MTL 2025 takes over Percival Molson Stadium from 11AM to 4PM. It’s free to attend, and as always, the point is that it's all about showing up.

Twenty-four teams from Montreal restaurants, businesses, pro clubs, and hospitality circles will face off in a day of friendly competition and grassroots giving. Every squad has a fundraising page on goalinitiatives.org, and the one that brings in the most? They get crowned Top Fundraiser 2025. Bragging rights included.

The annual Top-Bins Challenge is back too, with players trying to slot the perfect shot for a cash prize. And every drink, sandwich, or scoop you buy on site? That money goes straight to the Foundation’s 2025 beneficiaries.

GOAL started with one cold afternoon of pick-up games and barbecue. It’s now a CRA-registered charity that’s sent shipping containers of gear overseas, built pitches for local schools, and funded mental wellness programs across the city.

Its crown jewel? GOAL MTL, the city’s annual soccer fest-meets-fundraiser where anyone—from Olympians to line cooks—can lace up and play for something bigger than bragging rights.

“Football has become a language we all speak here,” says Paul. “Across boroughs, backgrounds, and generations—it brings us together in a way few things can.”

"It shows up in parks, schoolyards, futsal courts, and weekend leagues. It’s more than sport. It’s family, It’s identity, It’s hope and through it all, the GOAL Foundation has been there—growing, building, and giving back."

“Over the years, we’ve worked hard to create spaces where football becomes the tool for something bigger—mental health, mentorship, and belonging. None of it would be possible without this city.”

A 15-year legacy, still playing forward

This year’s funds are being put to work right here at home:

• A brand-new soccer pitch at École Notre-Dame Saint-Joseph in La Prairie
• The Kicking It Out mental wellness program at Westmount High
• Full-year scholarships for youth players at CS Saint-Laurent
• Grassroots training and team development with Lasalle Soccer Club and the DeRo Foundation

“Football brings people together,” Paul says. “But when you layer on music, food, art, wellness, and community—that’s where the magic happens.”

Yes, there’s football, but GOAL MTL is also what happens when a World Cup watch party meets a block party meets a streetwear drop.

This year’s roster of experiences includes:

• Haircuts by Maison Privée
• Tattoos by Linus of Burning Monk
• DIY tie-dye station
• Mini pitch & putt, football fitness workshops
• Live art by Leandro Vergara
• Youth soccer drills by Passion Soccer
• DJs from Baroque Agency, Mr Notre-Dame & DJ Psychology
• Sprinkler station, ice baths, and hydration booths to cool off
• Silent auction table, local soccer club booths, and GOAL merch

To keep the energy high and the stomachs full:

• Italian sandwiches from Bossa
• Chef Paul Toussaint’s spicy jerk chicken
• Tasting bars from El Jimador and Cottage Springs
• Café Olimpico coffee, snowcones, and pickles on sticks

Star power that stays grounded

The field’s full of familiar faces. You might spot Joel Waterman (CF Montréal) threading passes, or Felicia Roy (Roses FC) schooling defenders. There’s Patrice Bernier and Amy Walsh, both in Canada’s Soccer Hall of Fame. Or radio mainstay Patrick Langlois, Olympian Olivia Smart, actor Nir Guzinski, Chef Antonio Park, and CFL linebacker Tyrell Richards. They’re not there to grandstand. They’re there to play.

"Every field we refurbish, every youth we mentor, every barrier we break—it's all thanks to the people, partners, and passion that live right here," says Paul.

"I couldn’t be prouder of the way this community has wrapped its arms around GOAL, and how football has become the bridge that continues to connect us, deeper and deeper each year."

Because football is for everyone

Football in Montreal doesn’t belong to one community. It’s everywhere: in parks, futsal courts, alleyways, and weekend leagues. The GOAL Initiatives Foundation was built on that reality—that across boroughs and backgrounds, football is a language we all speak.

As Desbaillets said in a past interview: “It’s a karmic thing. You can’t take without giving back… When you see hard work culminate in something positive, there’s honestly no better feeling.”

Over 15 years, that work has deepened. From shipping containers of equipment sent overseas to building up fields here at home, GOAL keeps finding ways to turn passion into impact—all without waiting for permission or a 10-year tender process.

“I'm passionate about football and what it does for communication, for when people are cheering and screaming and crying and getting together and how they’ll be yelling at each other one moment and then hugging after the fact.

You can talk to anybody anywhere on the planet, even if you don't speak the same language, and words like Messi or Ronaldo will make a connection with that person. That's massive. That's absolutely massive.”

Montreal's a football town

For those watching from the sidelines, now’s the time to step on the field. Montreal’s football culture isn’t waiting for legacy—it’s building it. Slowly, locally, meaningfully.

GOAL MTL 2025 happens Sunday, July 27 from 11AM–4PM at Percival Molson Stadium.

Admission is free. Come hang. Play a little. Give a little. That’s the point.

Presented by the Barry F. Lorenzetti Foundation, Sodexo, El Jimador, and DRW.

For more info or to donate: goalinitiatives.org

The 15th edition of GOAL MTL and its all-ages football festival and fundraiser takes place at Percival Molson Stadium this Sunday, July 27, 2025, from 11AM to 4PM. Entry is free. Give a little, get a lot in return.

GOAL MTL is presented by the Barry F. Lorenzetti Foundation, Sodexo, El Jimador, and DRW.

*Editor’s Note: Out of respect for the Beautiful Game, we’ve opted to avoid the North American tendency of calling football ‘soccer’. It just felt right. Don’t @ us.