Meet Fernando Mönke | co-creator of Groundspotters

We had the good fortune of connecting with Fernando Mönke and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Fernando, let’s talk legacy – what do you want yours to be?
While there was no real process prior to the creation of Groundspotters, but it was the result of moments of free time we found when we started the pandemic lockdown, with a lot of stored content and the desire to share this passion, we found in this the way to integrate a huge community around the world. We were surprised by the reach that what we did and showed through our networks could have, the interest it could awaken in other people and how we could be a reference and help to a significant number of people who wanted to visit our country, discover our city and learn about our football.

That is why as our main legacy, what we would like, is that in times where everything is analysed and valued according to success or reach in the virtual world or where some believe that virtues are represented through profitability, it is worth doing things out of passion, pursuing no other objectives than to continue to enjoy what we do every day, always being willing to meet new people, discover new stories and offer ourselves to help others to overcome borders thanks to the passion for football. At a time when many try to divide peoples, societies, classify them in order to separate them and generate a duality in the face of infinite situations, there are things that make us equal, bring us together, make us understand each other beyond distances, languages, religions or social classes.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I believe that the greatest challenge, which is renewed day by day, is constancy and sustaining the work necessary to sustain what we have been doing with our project.

Something that excites us is being able to do what we love, the way we believe in it and the way we feel like doing it. We don’t lose sight of followers, likes, trends, or change the way we present our content because, in theory, “what works” is something else. We remain faithful to what we want even though, in the realm of social media and the internet, we are in an era where everyone demonstrates that you have to be successful and that you are the only one who seems to matter.

If there’s one thing you need to know about us, it’s that at Groundspotters, we continue to go to our stadium with the same eagerness we had when we were kids, that we visited and visited other stadiums with the same profits we had when we started this project, which interested us in all kinds of stories, moments, places, people, their origins, their traditions, their symbols, both those that are hugely popular and those that only attract a handful of people. After all, it’s about passions, feelings, the same things we have together, that share us all.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Of course, we are known for our passion for football, and that’s an experience no one can imagine who hasn’t shared a stand with an Argentine fan.

So, without a doubt, if you visit Buenos Aires, you obviously have to visit one of its 18 football stadiums. You can even visit those located on the outskirts of the city! Like our ´Libertadores de América – Ricardo Enrique Bochini´ stadium, which is just 15 minutes from the Obelisco!

So, while you tour the stadiums and soak up the football, we can offer you a feast of flavors. Buenos Aires’ gastronomy awaits you to make your visit a complete experience, where football and food merge perfectly. Buenos Aires is a gastronomic paradise, from its traditional grilled “asados” (choripanes) to gourmet dishes. The city offers a vast variety of dishes that represent the cultural mix and the love of good food. You can’t miss out on trying a “Milanese alla Napolitana” or enjoying a ´stone-baked pizza´.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First of all, we have to thank our parents. This would not be possible without them, who shared with us this passion, this love and madness for these colours that unite us, that took us to different stadiums and cities to accompany this feeling. It is those first times going to stadiums with them that awakened and nurtured this interest, the first steps on this path that today is Groundspotters.

Secondly, obviously, to all the friends and people from different places, some of them unthinkable, that we met along these years, some even in person, which is the most amazing demonstration of the reach that what you do can have.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/groundspotters/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/groundspotters

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@groundspotters

Other: https://linktr.ee/groundspotters

Image Credits
Marina Cellillo & Fernando Monke @Groundspotters