Venezuelan women’s soccer dream is born
Venezuela’s Women Football team. www.fi fa.com
Caribbean Life, OCTOBER 1-7, 2021 39
By Nelson A. King
As with so many other countries
around the world, women’s
football (soccer) in Venezuela
was profoundly affected by the
pandemic, according to FIFA.
“After months in lockdown
and with only very restricted
activities, a new opportunity
emerged for the Venezuelan
Football Federation (FVF) and
FIFA to revive and revolutionize
women’s football in the country,
to ensure it came back stronger
than ever before,” said FIFA on
Saturday.
“Within the surrounds of the
High-Performance Centre in
Yaracuy, a facility built exclusively
for women’s football through the
FIFA Forward Development Program,
four clubs embarked on
an intense 10-day adventure they
would never forget,” it added.
FIFA said the FVF channeled
the grant allocated to women’s
football from the FIFA COVID-
19 Relief Plan to finance the
2021 Transition Tournament
and unveiled their new Women’s
Football Development Plan,
nicknamed Nace un sueño (“A
dream is born”).
FIFA said the tournament represented
a dream come true for
many aiding women’s football
development in the country and
serve as a foundation for the new
competitions to be introduced
in 2022.
“With the prize of a place in
the CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores
Femenina 2021 up for
grabs, this was, for many players,
the first professional event they
had competed in and marked a
key step forward for the women’s
game in Venezuela,” FIFA said.
It said the FVF’s Development
Department also placed a strong
emphasis on shaping the experience
as one of personal growth
for this defining generation of
female players.
The participating clubs —
Deportivo Lara, Metropolitanos
FC, Caracas FC and Yaracuyanos
FC — benefitted from special
capacity building sessions for
athletes and coaches, designed
to improve the girls’ technical
ability, stamina, and promote key
values like leadership and discipline,
FIFA said.
It said players and coaches
were also introduced to discussions
about football integrity and
participated in interactive activities
that highlighted their role in
protecting the game.
FIFA said the competition,
which marked the beginning of
a new era for women’s club football
in the country, concluded
after a packed schedule of development
activities and matches,
with Yaracuyanos Fútbol Club
crowned 2021 Transition Tournament
champions.
The club will travel to Paraguay
in November to represent
Venezuela in the CONMEBOL
Libertadores Femenina 2021,
FIFA said.
“The pandemic affected everyone,
not only Venezuelan football
but football around the world,
both men’s and women’s,” said
Pamela Conti, Venezuela women’s
head coach. “It is clear that
some countries could restart
before Venezuela but we’re getting
there.
“We’re starting again, as excited
as we were 18 months ago,
when everything stopped,” she
added. “We are truly thankful
for what FIFA are doing, for the
Football Association’s effort to be
here so that we can truly say one
day that thanks to FIFA and the
Association, Venezuelan football
is better than before.”
Jorge Giménez, FVF president,
said: “Without the assistance and
support from FIFA, it would have
been impossible to get women’s
football going again. FIFA really
believe in this sport and are
helping women’s football considerably.
“Thanks to FIFA COVID-19
Relief Plan, we were able to make
all of this happen,” he added.
“It was a beautiful, emblematic
event, and the whole country
was eager to see women’s football
get going again.”
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