Player Profile | Monica Gonzalez, Mexico

Monica Gonzalez has not only captained Mexican national women’s team and founded Gonzo Soccer Peace Foundation, but she’s worked the sideline as a reporter for ESPN, is a commentator and analyst for FOX Deportes and sits on the Advisory Board for FIFPro, the World Players Union. As if this wasn’t enough, she’s joining us in a climb of a lifetime, up MtKilimanjaro in June to break a soccer world record.

If you want to support us to break a soccer world record, please visit: www.startsomegood/equalplayingfield    

Football has been the spine of my life. As I’ve grown its place and meaning has evolved as well. It’s a game, a business, an expression of culture, a mechanism to develop character and to raise strong women and productive future employees.

I think I may be from the last great generation of street rats. It’s sad our world has become more dangerous over time and kids now don’t get to spend as much quality time together.   My dad played soccer for the US Men’s national team in the 1972 Munich Olympics so he had a ball at my feet since before I can remember and even lied about my age to get me in the boys’ league when I was 4.

When I was 13, I learned that playing soccer could get me a college scholarship and from then on, it was my goal and soccer became my job. But now there is a mad race for college scholarships - women’s soccer in the United States is becoming much more exclusive and girls in underserved communities are missing out on the chance to play.

In 2012, the NCAA reported that only 4% of its female student-athletes were Latina, and this is in a country that has almost 20% Latino population! The statistics for early pregnancy, and thus sustained poverty cycles, in US inner cities are worse than the 15 communities where I have soccer academies in Mexico and Colombia, so I know that there are still thousands of girls in the US that need someone to speak up for them.

I learned through having set up the Gonzo Academy that when a girl plays sports it doesn’t just change their life, it changes her family, her friends and the entire community. Now I see that empowering women is what will bring peace and prosperity to all of us. I got lucky, and ended up playing professional soccer, working as a sports broadcaster, and travelling the world - all because of soccer. I’m climbing Mt Kilimanjaro with Equal Playing Field for those girls out there who want go out and play but aren’t allowed or don’t have the chance.

There seems to be a sense that we need to “protect” girls, which is maybe partly because of levels of violence against women - but there is also implies an inherent “weakness” in women.

It was hard to be the captain of the Mexico national team, center back, #4—just like Rafa Marquez—and be making $300 a month while I knew he was making millions. Later on it was hard for me to be ESPN sideline reporter, as a FIFA World All Star, when all I was allowed to do was to be the “jock sniff” - chasing the boys around the field to get interviews. ESPN didn’t let me make comments or have my own opinions. I was only allowed to report on things I saw or heard on the field.

But sometimes I wonder, is that discrimination, or is it just businesses at different stages of their evolution?

As I speak to more women around the world I hear they suffered the same way we did yet we kept telling ourselves we were lucky to be on a national team and kept our mouths shut. FIFPro women’s director, former Swedish goal-keeper Caroline Jonsson, calls it “gratitude guilt”. Many amazing players my age, including myself, still have financial problems today because we chose to follow our hearts and listened to our coaches when they told us not to complain or else our program would get cut. Today, female footballers across the globe are discovering that it is not only okay to speak up, it is essential for us to continue to evolutionize our sport, discover our own competitive advantage, and prove our value to society.

Our world is in dire need of female role models and football is the perfect industry to get them from. The most important work ever is taking place now -  as we see national teams like Ireland and Chile unionizing and demanding basic human rights be met.

My vision for the future is the same as my vision for Gonzo Soccer---a world with more female footballers will be a more peaceful and prosperous world. Football is global - so it could be what unites our world and builds bridges if we want it to.

To find out more about the challenge, please go to www.equalplayingfield.com

Player Profile | Lori Lindsey, USA

Retired US midfielder Lori Lindsey is Equal Playing Field’s newest recruit! With 31 caps for the US, playing in the 2011 FIFA World Cup and part of the gold medal winning squad in the London 2012 Olympics she has plenty of experience to draw on as she now aims to break a footballing world record. Here she tells us why she’s joined the Equal Playing Field squad.

Do you want to support Lori break a world record so she can help younger players realise their dreams? Sponsor her here: https://www.gofundme.com/kn5a2-equal-playing-field

Football has brought me so much joy to my life.

I grew up in Indiana and played every sport possible, but soccer was my first love and favorite. My older brother Chris played so I would play on his all-boys teams since there weren’t as many opportunities for girls at that time. I remember watching the first ever Women’s World Cup when I was 11 and thinking that one day, I want to be just like those women. Some twenty years later I can now reflect back on what I have achieved. I am one of only four players to play in all three of our women’s professional leagues here in the US, and represented the US Women’s National Team, notably in the 2011 World Cup and then at the London 2012 Olympic Games. I am now in a position to inspire young players to reach their dreams.

The first time I pulled on the US national jersey, it felt amazing. It felt like all my hard work over so many years was paying off. And it wasn't just about the hard work I had put in....the jersey represented all the time, love, and money that my parents, my family, countless coaches and numerous friends had put in to get me to that point.

My most proud moment is the 2011 Women's World Cup. As any player knows, the World Cup is the pinnacle of our sport and to play and participate in what was arguably the most successful women's sporting event in the world at that time was a dream come true for me.

I have been afforded some amazing opportunities through football but even as I climbed up the ladder to professional football – one thing was clear; the playing field for women in sport is not equal. We are making strides in the U.S. especially with the most recent collective bargaining agreement with our Women’s National Team – but I believe the next step is for us is to help other countries to close the inequality gap. The 2015 World Cup highlighted some of these drastic inequalities in some countries between their men’s and women’s teams and we need to help them. I hope to play a vital role in this.

Football taught me many things; I’ve learned dedication, heartbreak, how to be a team player, the power of persistence, hard work, that change is constant. Most importantly I have learned to believe in myself. Climbing up this mountain allows me to continue to play an important role in raising awareness and end this inequality.

To support the Equal Playing Field squad break a world record and inspire new generations please visit: www.startsomegood/equalplayingfield     

To find out more about the challenge, please go to www.equalplayingfield.com

Player Profile | Hajar Abulfazl, Afghanistan

Meet Hajar Abulfazl, Afghan national team player and coach of the Under-19s. She describes how important her family has been to realizing her dreams and what she hopes she can achieve for other women and girls through her efforts, including taking part in this world record-breaking challenge.

Want to help Hajar get up Mt Kilimanjaro and inspire the next generation? Visit www.startsomegood/equalplayingfield  

I was born in Kabul, Afghanistan. My family had to leave the country because of war, When the war finished, we returned to Kabul where I started playing football at school, aged 14. After playing in several tournaments, I was selected for the national team in 2008. I am a former captain of the team, head of the women’s and finance committees for the Afghanistan Football Federation, and currently coach the Under-19s team. I am also a proud Athlete Ambassador for Shirzanan, a Muslim Women Sports Advocacy group.

I’m dedicated to female empowerment through sports and try to speak with girls and to the media as often as possible to raise awareness for the human right and benefits of participation. As a recent medical school graduate, I emphasize the health and social implications.

I co-founded Tawana Youth Development Organization (TYDO), which organizes school visits and sports festivals to promote sports among girls in the country. I love coaching Tawana where I have 18 players practicing three times a week. In rural areas, it’s much more difficult for girls to play -  often because of instability in the country. Parents want to keep the girls home and protected.

But, girls are also kept off the playing field because their parents and brothers maintain conservative views that sports are for boys, girls are weak, and girls should stay home. Every day, I hear a new story about girls giving up their dreams to play – or sometimes even go to school – because they don’t have support.

My family was different. I am part of a big family, the third of eight sisters and four brothers. I have been lucky to have siblings and parents who support, encourage and protect me - and that includes my football activities. Despite cultural taboos, my father and mother let me play and talk to media as a role model to other girls and to their parents. We show them that sports are positive for the individual, family, and society by making girls stronger and productive.

I hope for a future where barriers and discrimination don’t kill the dreams of women and girls worldwide. There’s a long way to go to influence gender norms and gain the support of men and boys who recognize their sisters, daughters and wives all deserve equal opportunities.

Equality to me means women and men with equal freedom to think, to make decisions, to choose the path of our own lives, and to seek our own achievements. Equality means women being allowed to be the champion and superstar of their own lives.

Football enriched my life. It taught me discipline and commitment, success and failure. Because of football, I have traveled around the world and participated in multi-national and cross-cultural exchanges like the Equal Playing Field Initiative. I have been able to learn and contribute to peace and understanding through sports.
 

I am so excited and honored to unite and unify with the great, diverse Equal Playing Field international team climbing Mt Kilimanjaro.

If you would like to support Hajar break a world record and inspire a new generation please donate here www.startsomegood/equalplayingfield   

To find out more about the challenge, please go to www.equalplayingfield.com

Player Profile | Nikki Riley, UK

Meet Nikki Riley from the UK – here she tells us what frustrates her about the way women athletes are portrayed in the media, how she’s been lucky to have had life choices that she knows are denied to others, and why she’s climbing Mt Kilimanjaro with Equal Playing Field.

Want to help Nikki break a world record? She’s also fundraising for our Egyptian star Esraa Awad. Sponsor them here: https://www.gofundme.com/equal-playing-field-kilimanjaro

I grew up in Nottingham, England. I played sports at school, but I wasn’t allowed to play football. The girls were only allowed to play netball and hockey, boys were allowed to play football and rugby. I hated all the sports I was “supposed” to play but I started playing football for a local girls’ team that my dad found when I was 10.

I never attended a pro-women’s football game until I was in my 20s as it wasn’t really something advertised. Come to think of it, I never watched any women’s sports -  all the live sports I was taken to see were men’s! It annoys me that there’s a bit of a stigma around women’s sport, that its seen as “not as good” or “the cheap option”. The coverage of women’s football in the UK has got better – but is still terrible.  When England played recently, I had to scroll through so many sports stories to find anything on the game! Ironic considering our women’s team are much more successful than our men’s at the moment!

And when women are profiled – they are often described in a derogatory way as though it’s a surprise that they are good at sport. Being first described as a “mother” or “wife of” or “ex model” rather than focussing on the fact that she is an athlete. They are often judged on their looks rather than their sporting performance. For men’s coverage, their sporting achievement comes first.

People say that the men’s game has a better atmosphere - this will only change when people are more open to watching women’s sport – but they can’t open up to the idea until there is better profile of women’s sport in the media.

In taking on this world record challenge, I hope to pave the way for my future children. My ten-year old niece is excited that I am climbing a mountain. She is a very girly girl and has joined the football and basketball teams at school and I don’t for one second think it has crossed her mind that she is playing a “boys” sport. This is how it should be, and I hope that won’t suddenly change. I have hope for the next generation. 

I believe women should have more choice in the way they live their life. I have been lucky enough to live in a society where I have been allowed to make my own choices. I recently married my wife, something that is frowned upon and illegal in many countries around the world. I am climbing this mountain for all the women who aren’t allowed freedom to be who they want to be in all aspects of their life.

If you would like to support Nikki to break a world record and inspire a new generation please donate here: https://www.gofundme.com/equal-playing-field-kilimanjaro

Player Profile | Petra Landers, Germany

Four time German champion and winner of the 1989 European Cup with the German National Team, Petra Landers brings a wealth of experience to our squad. She’s already broken one record by being in the first ever German women’s national football team in 1982 and here she tells us why she wants another record by climbing Mt Kilimanjaro with the Equal Playing Field squad.

If you want to support Petra break a world record and help her to continue to inspire girls around the world, please visit https://www.gofundme.com/petralanders

I was born in 1962, and grew up with my two sisters on a worker´s estate in Bochum, a city in western Germany. I discovered soccer when I was six years old. I played soccer on the streets and fields with the boys in the neighbourhood. My first team was all boys, I played there for two years. Looking back I realise that everything I did was a bit unusual for girls or women. I learnt crafts in the school with the boys instead of sewing with the girls, I played soccer with the boys instead doing gymnastic with the girls. Later on I did vocational training as motor mechanic.

But even in Germany, it wasn’t socially acceptable for us to play for a very long time. The German Football Association banned girls and women’s soccer until 1970. Even my own boss tried to stop me from representing my country in the European Championships in 1989. I tried to take holiday to play — but he blocked my request. It was only when I threatened to quit my job that he let me go. And soon after we were crowned European Champions!

This was the first time the German national women’s team won the European Cup. And do you know what we were awarded by the German Football Association? A coffee set.

Now whenever I meet girls or women who want to play soccer, I do what I can to support and motivate them. I used to focus on supporting girls in Germany to play soccer, but these days I support girls and women in Zambia. Through soccer their self-esteem grows, and that helps to improve their role in society.

In my opinion, equality brings self-esteem, freedom and respect. That’s why I try to support women and girls to fight for equality and I do that through sport.

When I played professionally there were days when the pressure was almost too much and it threatened to roll into my personal life too. But that’s when I thought — just one more round, I can do this. Fight for you, fight for the team, for family. Be strong and go forward. I am a fighter, in sport and in life.

To sponsor Petra, and help get her up the mountain — please go to https://www.gofundme.com/petralanders