Organized by the world's No. 1 sports drink, Gatorade 5v5 is an annual youth soccer tournament that runs across Latin America, North America, Asia and Europe. Since 2016, it has grown from 5,000 young athletes to over 100,000 participants from 22 countries, fueling the new generation of soccer players to reach the next level.

But besides the sport-focused aspect, Gatorade 5v5 has also been the scene of amazing human stories about passion, sacrifice, courage and the many ways in which the young players are unique, yet share universal elements in common.

For Gatorade, the goal with this project was to create breakthrough soccer content in order to stand out against the competition, stay relevant within the soccer community, and drive awareness of the Gatorade 5v5 tournament.

Cantera 5v5 is a docu-series that follows five ambitious young players exploring the range of perspectives and backgrounds found in soccer while showcasing Gatorade's role as the fuel empowering the next generation of athletes.

We combed through thousands of stories from young athletes around the world narrowing it down to five. These kids helped us tell true stories of the struggles teen athletes face while trying to progress in the sport. We addressed hot topics like race, gender equality, tough economic backgrounds and psychological pressures from parents, but at the same time showing that through sports there’s an opportunity window to leave all that behind and have fun with friends.

Telling the stories of the young athletes through a long-form docu-series would enable us to engage more directly with our target audience, connect with a broader audience, and cement Gatorade's status as the best sports drink for athletes.

Going all out to capture these stories blended our strategy for elevated content with the opportunity to learn what makes the heart of a champion. We had more than 30 crew members, 20 cameras, and thousands of hours spent filming every moment in more than 10 cities around the world. We also brought on Emmy award-winning directors, Jeff and Michael Zimbalist, to produce authentic and impactful content.

We wanted these relatable stories to reach broader audiences as well as teen athletes so we premiered Cantera 5v5 globally at the 2019 Tribeca TV Festival. We also engaged local audiences through top sports publications in target markets and at premiere events. We partnered with the world’s leader in sports broadcasting, ESPN, to showcase Cantera 5v5 on all of its platforms to acheive maximum reach. Finally, we secured distribution through NBCUniverso and Telemundo’s platforms to reach US Hispanic audiences.

The documentary saw 1.8 million views 6 weeks after airing on ESPN. The media responded with a total ad value of over $7.4M, over +250 pieces of press coverage, and more than 440M social impressions. Cantera 5v5 is also an Official Selection in more than five Film festivals including Los Angeles Latino International and Mexican International Film Festival.

Now, Gatorade is not only the best sports drink for athletes, but also providing a platform for the voices of this generation.