( CNN ) -- While I was working in Colombia many years ago , a young boy said to me : `` The day we take peace as seriously as a football match , we will achieve it . '' His words were simple , yet they carried profound implications : Football can inspire the passion needed to change the world . This encounter also taught me another important lesson : The best ideas come from listening to people and communities . Why football should be used to change lives . Today , these two ideas form the basis of streetfootballworld 's work across all five continents . We believe in the power of football to change lives -- and we believe that the power to change communities lies in the communities themselves . The capacity for social change that lies within the streetfootballworld network is immense -- but how can it be maximized ? READ MORE : Building on the BRICS . Russia is one country which has huge potential to action change leading up to the 2018 FIFA World Cup , which it will host . It must prepare a strategy which delivers a lasting social legacy for its people . In the 2018 Local Organizing Committee 's recent annual report , CEO Alexei Sorokin emphasized the importance of creating a sustainable long term legacy . While we fully support this sentiment , our experience shows that it requires careful preparation and involvement across all stakeholders . Russian football has made headlines with some spectacular investments -- both domestically and on the international stage . If this level of commitment can be transferred to the social sphere , Russia has the potential to lead the way to a pioneering sporting legacy . In this sense , 2018 is a unique opportunity -- and one which it would be a shame to waste . So how can it be done ? It has become fashionable to talk about the legacy of large sporting events such as World Cups and Olympic Games . Such events carry with them an enormous potential to create real , lasting social change . But this only works if local needs are at the center of any approach . Streetfootballworld bridges the gap between host communities and organizing committees to ensure this is the case . WATCH MORE : Could the BRICS get a bank ? In 2010 , streetfootballworld teamed up with FIFA to make social change an integral part of the World Cup . With the construction of 20 community health , education and sport centers as part of the `` 20 Centres for 2010 '' campaign , the World Cup environment was able to be used to help assist communities across the African continent . These Football for Hope Centres are hosted by community-based organizations , thus impacting target groups , building upon effective programs and responding to local needs . The 2010 initiatives were successful due to a combination of local expertise and global commitment . We showed how an entire continent could be reached . In 2012 , streetfootballworld implemented RESPECT your Health , the official community health programme for UEFA EURO 2012 in Poland and Ukraine . Working together with local sports institutions , schools and volunteers , we used the passion for the game to spread important messages about healthy lifestyles via a train-the-trainers approach -- thus multiplying the effect and reaching more young people . READ MORE : Can BRICS nations reshape aviation ? Over 800 coaches continued to use the specially designed RESPECT your Health curriculum long after the tournament -- demonstrating that sport ( and especially football ) is an effective way of guaranteeing a sustainable legacy . Russia must focus on its five year countdown . Similar approaches will be needed if the 2018 World Cup is to make an impact on the vast expanse of Russia . Ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil , we 're campaigning to give as many people as possible a voice to express what a positive legacy means to them . We are using the momentum of the World Cup to support innovative ideas for change on a local level . A true social legacy is dependent on local ownership and active participation . Like in Brazil , the passion for football is huge in Russia -- and over the next five years , Russia has the chance to show that football can be more than just a game . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Jurgen Griesbeck .
Streetfootballworld works to improve communities across the world through football . Founder Jurgen Griesbeck says Russia has five years before its World Cup to action change . Griesbeck says change requires careful preparation , and involvement by all stakeholders . TL;DR The U.S. is in a tough spot with respect to Russia.