If you are a woman and live in India you can change your life while playing football

Any day Lahari The two-hour football practice starts at five-thirty in the morning. Later, the 11-year-old girl, who lives in Anantapur, a rural area in South India, goes to her classes. Before dinner, play another round game. Her friend Anusha, 13, follows the same scheme. Both, along with 18 women under the age of 15, are part of a recently launched housing project in the country. Anantapur Sports Academy (Anantapur Sports Academy, ASA), the special sports center of the Vicente Ferrer Foundation in that country Their purpose is their social integration.

According to him World Bank India has a population of about 1.4 billion, of which 22% and about 300 million live below the poverty line. The situation is exacerbated by the epidemic, especially for women: in rural India about 60% of young women get married before the age of 18. Because Such traditional traditions are still practiced in the countryside, Like the people of Lahari and Anusha.

In areas like Anantapur, where drought and water scarcity are the norm, female employment is generally grouped into agriculture and mainly domestic work and unpaid work. This is, in all probability, waiting inside a woman Comfortable marriage If not for such social-sporting projects, the Lalica Foundation is co-created with the Vicente Ferrer Foundation and the Lalica Women’s Football Department, through which ASA values ​​can be passed. Gender equality.

Removal of stains

“Sport is the only activity that can stop gender discrimination in this country. This is the first thing I learned here. In the playground, girls and boys have the opportunity to meet, share, respect and grow as human beings, ”he defends. Monco Ferrer, Project Director of the Vicente Ferrer Foundation. Sports and football are an integral part here, a valuable tool for improving and facilitating the path to the integrated development of these women.

The Vicente Ferrer Foundation, through its sports program, has been cooperating with the ASA and LaLiga Foundation for five years in support of equality. They trained about 200 girls Reached over 1,200 Last season, despite the Govt-19. Now, the launch of a residential academy marks a new milestone: “It will be a platform for talented young women from Anantapur to pursue their careers in football and hone their skills under the tutelage of qualified coaches. At the same time, we are working to improve sports facilities in the region, ”he points out Olga de la Fuente, Director of Fundación LaLiga.

“We agree to see and feel the game as an essential tool for the Vicente Ferrer Foundation. Social inclusion Backward people. On the other hand, India is emerging as an important country in implementing the plans of the Lalika Foundation and in line with Lalika’s process of internationalization. So, we decided to bet on the Vicente Ferrer Foundation, which has a long history in the country, and to join its sports program Anantapur Sports Academy and its rural league.

The growth of women’s sports in India is real: the participation of women in football has increased by 295% in the last three years.

The development of women’s sports in India is real: in the last three years Participation increased by 295% Of women in football. Nevertheless, there is still no support for players to continue training. Accommodation and free food, education, health, sports equipment, training and games for 20 girls provided by the Lalika and Lalika Foundation during the first year of the residential academy. In this way, they can become a benchmark in their cities and still contribute to gender equality in the distance.

One of these tips Tribute, 24, he already played football at the age of 13 and is now a coach at the Anantapur Residential Academy. “When I was a boy, my neighbors told my parents that football was not for women. Now I want to encourage other women like me to pursue their dreams. Without sports I would not be so confident in myself today.

She is also one of the direct beneficiaries of the scheme, where young women have already experienced training, competition and education, but without shelter. “I am also a child from Anantapur and I am happy to see the children fulfill their dreams,” he said. Monco Ferrer, Who grew up there when his father, Vicente Ferrer, carried out humanitarian work.

Training for coaches

“At Fútbol Femenino, under the leadership of Fundación LaLiga and the coordination of the sports program area, our mission is to provide resources and tools for the development of various initiatives such as residential and non-residential academies, competitions, activities on special dates, mentoring or coaching, among others,” he says. Petro Malabia, Director of women’s football in Lalika. This is because ASA jointly develops training programs for practitioners, both in person and in practice (‘calledCoach Coach‘) And to local players (‘Player player‘).

On the one hand, in conjunction with the Lalika Sports Projects area, specific training sessions on women’s football are conducted through the Lalika system. On the other hand, players from some Spanish clubs come forward to talk about their experiences as professional footballers. “The role of Lalica clubs and other Spanish women’s soccer clubs is fundamental. They are a mirror through which the women in the project can see themselves,” she concludes. Malabia.

Despite the social and health crisis in India due to the epidemic, these institutions were able to continue to collaborate in 2020 with the continuation of the non-residential academy inhabited by 35 women. Last season, the Rural League continued to run. 25 football clubs participated and 3,185 boys and girls participated in sports activities. Mixed U7 and U9 division tournaments and the Rural Football League Up to 18 years.

Joint measures were also taken Training of referees, coaches and coaches Face to face and virtual and created one Computer room to strengthen the digitalization process It is essential to continue the integrated development of ASA boys and girls. To mitigate the impact of the Govt, the Lalika Women’s Football Area and the Lalika Foundation collaborated with economic donations for the development of emergency operations.

This project for social integration through football is not only supported by LaLiga through its foundation. On Savior, The government-sponsored ‘LaLiga Values ​​and Opportunities’ project by INDES, LaLiga Foundation develops a community sports program aimed at benefiting more than 26,000 boys and girls. Similarly, this collaboration extends to the Za’atari Refugee Camp (Jordan), where the LaLiga Foundation and the LaLiga Sports Project area work with AFDP Global (Asian Football Development Program) to improve children’s quality of life. Through sports as a tool for social change.