AYW Community Spotlight | Girls Soccer Worldwide

RICHMOND, VA (January 31, 2017) – The ECNL and the Amazing Young Women movement is dedicated to showcasing females that have helped shape the league into the top female youth soccer development platform in the world.  As part of the movement, the ECNL is encouraging amazing young women to share their stories. We are excited to announce Girls Soccer Worldwide as the ECNL Amazing Young Women Community Spotlight of the Week. We are recognizing nine young women, including six current players from Pleasanton Rage ECNL and one current player from Mustang SC ECNL, who went to South America to teach and encourage young girls how to play the beautiful game.

The young women who attended this trip:

  • Kira Broacha – Pleasanton Rage
  • Ashley Cole – Pleasanton Rage
  • Abby Fried – Pleasanton Rage
  • Sarah Mirr, Pleasanton Rage
  • Peyton Raun – Pleasanton Rage
  • Michaela Riter – Pleasanton Rage
  • Sarah Broacha – Mustang SC
  • Samara Ayoob-Ahmad
  • Hannah Gosset

Girls Soccer Worldwide is a newly formed non-profit organization, founded by Walter Pratte, coach for Pleasanton Rage, and his wife Pamela Jacobsen. The South America mission marked the first trip for the organization, seeing a mixture of players and parents from the Bay Area come together from November 18 to 28. All those involved were driven by their passion to share their love of the sport, with the main focus being girls’ equality in the game of soccer in other countries.

Unfortunately, many areas in the world do not offer the same opportunities for girls that they do boys.  Different cultures have deeply rooted history and methods, much more regimented than options available here in the United States. Soccer is a male driven sport, fueling the initiative for so many to encourage girls to play and invest in teaching others that would otherwise not have the opportunity.

Girls Soccer Worldwide created several opportunities around the South America mission, specifically in Coronel Bogado, Paraguay. The group was able to establish a presence and come up with a game plan through open conversations with influential contacts in the community, visiting and interacting with local schools, and talking directly to the young girls and boys about soccer providing an equal playing field for all. Girls Soccer Worldwide wanted to gain community support to spread the word. They accomplished this goal by running daily training sessions in an open environment, sending the message that everyone was welcome. Each day the number of girls participating and those watching grew.

One local was overhead saying he had never seen so many girls playing before, and was particularly amazed at how many fellow community members gathered in one place for this event. This alone earmarked the trip as a success, as raising awareness for the game and encouraging young women to play was the first step to making an impact and instilling positive change in the community.

Many of the children traditionally come to the field with no shoes, and clothing not suitable to play soccer in because their families simply could not provide them. This need encouraged Girls Soccer Worldwide to collect gently used items to bring with them on their trip. On top of the mental impact and awareness around the game, Girls Soccer Worldwide also provided donations to those in need. Soccer uniforms, shoes, socks and more were collected and shipped to Paraguay for their mission.

Girls Soccer Worldwide truly left a mark and an everlasting impression on the Paraguayan community. The locals were empowered to make the much needed changes for girls to play soccer, building strong relationships with the volunteers on the trip to sustain the impact. Girls Soccer Worldwide is already planning a second trip this spring, hoping to continue their efforts in Coronel Bogado and expanding to other communities around the world.

We wish Girls Soccer Worldwide and all of it’s members the best of luck with the next journey, and truly thank the Amazing Young Women involved for making a positive impact on others.

To learn more about Girls Soccer Worldwide and their first mission, please watch the video below courtesy of Peppermint Tea Photography.

###

About Amazing Young WomenTM:  Launched by the ECNL, the Amazing Young Women is a dynamic platform of online and local market activations that showcase and celebrate female role models offering an aspirational focus for all female athletes and teens as they prepare to be our next generation of leaders.  The ECNL is calling on all of the nation’s women to join the movement to celebrate the endless potential of today’s girls.

Women of all ages can share their personal moments of inspiration through social media and at www.AmazingYoungWomen.com.  Every share and submission helps drive a movement that celebrates the power of what it is to be a girl today.

Amazing Young Women of the ECNL will be showcased at AmazingYoungWomen.com. Through testimonials, tips and tools, the website is providing all girls to view, share, and celebrate what it is to be motivated, strong, and successful.

About Elite Clubs National League:  The Elite Clubs National League

(ECNL) was founded in 2009 to enhance the developmental experience of female youth soccer players in the United States through: (i) improving the competitive environment through creation of a true national competitive league; (ii) improving the process for identifying elite female soccer players for college and youth national teams through a systematic scouting and identification program based on national competitions; and (iii) improving the daily training environment at top female youth soccer clubs through developing best practices and training and organizational guidelines for its member clubs.  The ECNL is sanctioned by US Club Soccer and is sponsored by Nike Soccer.

eliteclubsnationalleague.com   |   Facebook:  /theECNL  |  Twitter: @theECNL