GETTING MORE GIRLS IN THE GAME OF SOCCER
Our She Breaks Barriers initiative is spreading fast and wide. We’ve joined up with the U.S. Soccer Foundation to create more access to soccer with female-led mentorship for girls and women who need it most.
According to the Women’s Sports Foundation girls drop out of sport at twice the rate of boys by age 14. “As a result, many girls—especially girls living in underserved communities—are less likely to reap the benefits that come with playing soccer, like teamwork, perseverance, and improved decision-making skills” said Ed Foster-Simeon, President & CEO of the U.S. Soccer Foundation. In response, we’ve teamed up with the Foundation to create a new initiative, United for Girls, to help underserved girls reach their full potential on and off the pitch. The initiative’s goals include both doubling the number of girls impacted by the Foundation’s programs and number of female coach-mentors over the next three years.
“We believe that through sport, we have the power to change lives and this partnership further exemplifies our commitment to removing barriers to sport for girls,” said Nicole Vollebregt, SVP of Global Purpose for adidas. “We’re dedicated to creating sustainable programs with lasting impact for young women in sport. Our partnership with the U.S. Soccer Foundation further allows us to empower girls and level the playing field in communities where they need it most.”
To celebrate the launch of the partnership, adidas and the Foundation hosted an event at Hoover Street Elementary, the future home of a mini-pitch, for 115 girls from underserved schools in the Los Angeles district on June 9th. We showed up with our adidas Creator truck to help the girls customize new tee’s, make posters and videos to support the women’s team in FIFA World Cup 2019™. The day was filled with playing soccer on nine different creative soccer pitches, with McCall Zerboni, a female pro and two soccer freestylers. The girls received an adidas jersey, shorts, shoes and socks as well as a creator kit to build their own pop-up pitch. The momentum for the sport continued when most of the girls signed up to come to the adidas FIFA World Cup 2019™ viewing party held in Los Angeles on June 11th.
Learn more about other commitments in our She Breaks Barriers initiative here.
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