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From July 20th to August 20th, 2023, the world's collective gaze was fixed upon the largest women's sporting event on Earth: the FIFA Women's World Cup. It was a time to cheer on our football heroes as they proudly took to the pitch in their national colors.
On the field, we saw remarkable runs and shocking upsets, debut teams making history and games decided by millimeters. On the sidelines, we saw legends speak about the rise of the women's game and we saw record breaking attendance and viewership numbers.
Soccer Without Borders (SWB) is proud to be a leader in a global movement to make the world of soccer, and the world as a whole, a place where girls and women are valued, included, and celebrated. As we look back, we celebrate the accomplishments achieved and barriers broken so far:
We've seen SWB participant girls grow into SWB leaders and coaches,
Coach Fahaby and Coach Michell participated as youth delegates at Festival '23, eight-days of learning, growing, networking, and celebrating football for good
Global Goal 5 Accelerators have now become Equal Play Effect, and continue to drive change in East Africa, Europe, Latin America, the USA, and beyond
Special Women's World Cup-inspired tournaments took place at our Nicaragua and Uganda hubs, each designed to lift up women's soccer in their local communities
SWB Co-Founder Mary Connor spoke at the Equality Summit, a convening of sports for development leaders designed to drive the equality agenda forward
To date, SWB has served more than 10,000 girls through our TEAM programs, most of whom are playing an organized sport for the very first time!
The World Cup is about more than just reflection and celebration, though, it's also about recognizing the work ahead of us. The truth is, despite the strides that have been made, less than 12% of participants in the 'worlds game' identify as female. Although there is still a lot of work to be done, we believe that together, we can continue to create a more equitable and inclusive world through soccer.
Throughout the FIFA Women's World Cup, the SWB community – including participants, volunteers, coaches, staff, and friends – took time to share their own wishes for women's soccer.
Although the 2023 edition of the Women's World Cup may be behind us, these heartfelt calls for gender equity in soccer remain as important and relevant as ever.
>> Dozens of passionate fans, coaches, and SWB participants left wishes for women's soccer on our #MyWishSWB Kudoboard, read them here!
If you didn't have the opportunity to donate during the Women's World Cup, it's not too late! We work year-round to advance gender equity on the pitch, on the sidelines, in organizations, and beyond.