From London To Mexico Girls United FA Carves Out Spaces for Girls

March 8, 2024

When Romina Calatayud founded Girls United Football Association in her native Mexico back in 2017, she had no idea how far her passion for girls and women’s football would take her. Seven years later, the numbers speak for themselves: 135 coaches have facilitated over 6000 hours of football for girls and women in 32 locations across Mexico and London. The organization has forged a global network of players, clubs and coaches, all supporting girls’ rights to achieve their own goals.

Driven by her own love for the game, Calatayud was determined to carve out safe and supportive spaces for other girls and women to grow in skills, confidence and community. Girls United was the result: a place where girls and women aged 5 - 18 could grow through play, regardless of limiting gender stereotypes. Thanks to a powerful network of sponsors, membership can be subsidised so it stays open to all, irrespective of background or resources.

International Women’s Day 2024 has a special meaning for Girls United: it’s the seventh anniversary of both their founding and their first tournament. To celebrate, they’re hosting another international grassroots tournament in London tomorrow, featuring over 300 women, trans and non-binary players, 42 teams and some exciting partnerships from the likes of both 90 Min and DAZN Women’s Football (follow them throughout March on social @girlsunitedfa).

We chatted to Calatayud about her connections with the game and how she’s created opportunities for girls around the world.

What does playing football mean to you?

To this day, the pitch is one of the only places where I can be totally myself. Most people who love football feel that way, right? But it wasn’t always that way for me. Growing up playing with older boys, I was quickly very aware of being the only girl. Naturally that means you're nervous before you even step onto a pitch. You feel you have to prove yourself, you feel people aren't going to want you there if you can't keep up. I was quite lucky that my family moved to the US for a bit, where I found girls’ teams. Once I joined those spaces, the difference was immediate: I stepped into my game. But I wanted that for others too.

What motivates you in doing this work?

To see what happens when the girls really have space to fully show up. It's what really drives me. In Mexico City we surveyed 80 girls and 85% of them had never been in any kind of space that was made just for them. That can really limit your confidence. And it’s a growth in confidence that’s one of the most tangible things to see. Girls arrive at the football pitch and they're hidden behind mom and dad's legs, or you'll ask them their name and the answer’s not even audible because they're so nervous.

But get them on the pitch and it changes–they're suddenly shouting, they're running in the group. Sometimes even within the same session! You can just see that transformation. So yeah, it's not about being the best on the pitch. It's about having that space to participate…to take up space with joy. I really believe that, as equality improves for girls and young women in football, it will improve across all areas of society. I’m passionate about seeing that happen.

Young players sometimes get to visit other teams, which must be incredibly exciting. What are these experiences like for the girls?

The first group of players that we took abroad were from our Mexican South-East programs–they went to London and France and they met the girls who play out there. I was lucky to be the chaperone on that trip so I took them through the whole process, from getting their passports to boarding a plane for the first time. They were just overwhelmed with the excitement and the newness of it all. Some of their reactions were about big things, but some smaller observations were touching, or just plain funny. For instance, buildings aren’t usually more than two stories in some Mexican towns, so their overwhelming observation on the trip was that "there's just a lot of stairs in Europe!"

What has been the reaction between girls from different parts of the world when you hold the tournaments?

Football connects–it’s its own language. When we brought some of our Mexican girls over to London, I would look over and they were all together, laughing. I didn't know how they were communicating, but they were! Some stay in touch through social media and it makes for some beautiful full-circle moments. For instance, we recently took some of our London coaches to Mexico for a skills exchange. One of them was able to reconnect with several young women she’d first met five years before when they were all in the program together as players. Really incredible! Ultimately, the experience of a team of girls passionate about football is universal.

What benefits do these experiences hold for players?

Seeing more of the world and connecting with different cultures is so inspiring for the girls: it opens their eyes to a whole new realm of possibilities and dreams. They always come back with a new sense of ambition and energy. One of our London players left an event feeling really excited and connected to her new Mexican teammates. She was 14 at the time but she single-handedly ran a fundraiser in her community that summer and raised £2500, enough to kickstart a whole new club in Mexico. It’s really empowering to realize there are ways we can support each other.

You have a pretty great job! What’s your favorite thing about it?

I guess it’s seeing Girls United come to life, together with a group of people who feel agency and take ownership over what we do. Girls United always meant a lot to me, and that was nice, but now it means a lot to other people too. That’s pretty special.

Girls United FA has been a participant of our Breaking Limits Program with Rexona (also known as Sure, Degree or Shield) since 2023.