8/3-2022Adidas and GAME stand together in breaking down barriers in sports to attract girls: Meet the new role models and use the newest tools
In sport, women and girls face systemic barriers. Every. Single. Day. From lack of access and representation to cultural stigma and self-doubt, women and girls are too often left on the sidelines and off the pitch. GAME is here to change that, not only on March 8th but every day and right now in collaboration with Adidas through the ‘Breaking Barriers’ project.
GAME has partnered with Adidas on the ‘Breaking Barriers’ project to help dismantle cultural stigmas and barriers while building access to sport for women and girls.
Educating role models in gender equity
Together with experts in gender equity and sport, Adidas has developed an intensive gender equity and inclusivity program. GAME’s volunteer Playmaker Maymi Asgari, who runs weekly street football practices for girls in her neighborhood, is one of the many role models taking part in the program.
”I fight to promote equality in sport. I started to play football because the boys where I grew up had an attitude that girls can’t play football. I am a very stubborn person because I need to show them that girls can also play football. Because I grew up without a role model, I didn’t believe it was possible for a person like me with a hijab could achieve my dreams. My dream for the future is to make my own football schools where children and young people across ethnicities are allowed to play football together. I’m breaking barriers for the girls who don’t have a role model,” says Maymi Asgari, volunteer Playmaker in GAME and football freestyler.
Maymi Asgari is one of 50 inspiring ‘Champions’ from selected nonprofit sports organizations in the ‘Breaking Barriers’ project. The project supports the capacity building of the organizations and provides leadership training to local role models and coaches like Maymi – the so-called ‘Breaking Barriers Champions’ – so that they can positively influence the lives of women and girls in their local communities.
Tools to create more inclusive spaces for all
Following the success of the project, the ‘Breaking Barriers Academy’ is now being launched, an online education platform providing content, activities, and tools to help you take the first step towards creating more inclusive and gender-equitable spaces for all.
”If you’re a coach or leader from the non-profit sector or any sports club or organization—or if you’re just interested in leading gender-sensitive activities—the Breaking Barriers Academy is brilliant! You can explore how to implement gender-equitable practices across your organization, how to become a more inclusive leader, or how to increase girls’ participation in sports. In my experience, accessing knowledge and tools like this can really help build an organization and projects that match GAME’s vision of gender equity and inclusion,” says Laura Bendix, Innovation Officer in GAME.
By showcasing these stories, champions and tools, GAME is, together with Adidas and other dedicated nonprofit organizations, presenting a new future for women and girls: One where all people, no matter their gender or background, have equal opportunity and equal access to sport.
Please support and follow the campaign #LetsBreakBarriers on social media.
For more learnings, research and perspectives on gender equity, go to GAME.ngo.
