SOMOS Equidad strengthens and recognizes the role of all women who, through their work, build history and society through soccer.
"FAIRNESS STARTS ON THE FIELD."
Ariana Pérez, SOMOS Equidad lead trainer and program ambassador for Latin America. She is part of the organization Fútbol Más México.
Ariana is a 32-year-old Mexican coach who, from the age of eight, discovered that soccer was more than a hobby. At the age of 12, with the support of her family, she played her first national tournament. Everything seemed to be on track to fulfill her dream of becoming a professional soccer player. However, the lack of opportunities did not allow him to follow his dream. Then, she decided to enter the university to study physical education, while the frustration for not fulfilling the promise she made as a child, made her move away from the sport she once loved.
The participants who are part of SOMOS Equidad see the project as an opportunity to continue advancing in the consolidation of gender policies in each of them.
For a year she did not set foot on a soccer field until, convinced by friends, she decided to return to soccer in her neighborhood. Everything seemed to be going well, but during a game she broke her knee, making her realize once again that soccer was not for her.
In the middle of a healing process, and while she was studying, she met Fútbol Más, an organization that generates protected spaces for children, using sports. There she saw soccer as an opportunity again, this time as a coach for children with projects focused on Soccer for Development. One of these projects is SOMOS Equidad, which, supported by Scotiabank, aims to eliminate gender gaps so that everyone has equal participation in soccer.
With her work, Ariana has been able to strengthen the role of girls and women on the fields, break paradigms and change perspectives around soccer.
