Playing (Soccer) For Change in Nicaragua

Copa de Paz 2023: Celebrating the International Day of Peace

The International Day of Peace, observed globally on September 21st, was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1981 as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace.

Each year at SWB Nicaragua, the International Day of Peace is celebrated with the Copa de Paz (the Peace Cup), a cherished SWB tradition and the region’s largest all-girls soccer tournament.

Taking place over three consecutive days, the 2023 edition of the tournament brought together 23 teams composed of 353 participants! Of these, 235 girls came to us as current SWB participants and 118 were invited from the greater Granada community. 

With its goals of promoting respect, diversity, inclusion, and dreaming big, it’s clear that the Copa de Paz is no ordinary soccer tournament. More than just lifting trophies, the Peace Cup was designed to provide opportunities for local girls to get connected to a safe and caring community where they can grow in confidence, develop leadership skills, and have fun!  

For the first time, Copa de Paz included a special category, affectionately called “la Categoria Moskito” (or the Mosquito category), for girls under the age of eight. This ensured that even the youngest participants were able to experience the power of the world’s game to create positive change.  

Getting Girls in the Game with the Copa Mundial Infantil Feminina

Reflecting upon the past few months, it may have seemed like the most exciting on-the-field soccer action took place in Australia and New Zealand during the Women’s World Cup. In truth, our friends Down Under were not the only ones celebrating women's soccer this summer.

Back in July, in honor of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, SWB Nicaragua launched the inaugural Copa Mundial Infantil Feminina!  

The week-long tournament took place in Granada and brought together 12 all-girls teams, six from SWB Nicaragua and six from the local community. The program included an all-female referee team and was developed with the aim of celebrating, uplifting, and promoting women's soccer and getting girls in the game. It stood as a perfect reminder that "if she can see it, she can be it."

Whether it's on the global stage or in the neighborhoods of Granada, it’s incredible to see how the world's game continues to have the power to inspire positive change.

Coach Michell Represents SWB Nicaragua at Festival ‘23

As you may recall from our previous report, SWB Nicaragua's very own Coach Michell, along with fellow SWB staff member Fahaby from our Uganda hub, were chosen to participate as Festival ‘23 youth delegates.

The festival – implemented by Common Goal, Football United, and Creating Chances – took place in Sydney, Australia during the Women’s World Cup and brought together 70 International Youth Leaders from 30 countries to showcase how the world’s game can be a powerful force to foster positive social change.

Throughout the tournament’s quarterfinals week, Michell and Fahaby took part in capacity-building workshops, immersive cross-cultural activities, world-class forums, and a fair play football tournament. 

Upon returning home to Granada, Michell hosted an event for the local SWB Nicaragua community where she shared the lessons learned from Festival ‘23. This local event, which took place in late August, was not only the perfect opportunity to share exciting, first-hand stories from the FIFA Women’s World Cup, but was more importantly a chance for Michell to inspire her fellow coaches, youth participants, and the entire community about the importance of advocating for gender equity in sports.

Links:

• SWB Nicaragua is now on Instagram!

Michell to Represent SWB at the Women’s World Cup’s Festival ‘23

We are thrilled to share that Michell, captain of Granada FC and an alumna coach at Soccer Without Borders (SWB) Nicaragua, will be representing SWB as a youth delegate at Festival ‘23, an 8-day youth festival of ‘football for good’, to be held in Sydney, Australia during the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023’s quarter-final week.

Festival ‘23 will showcase how the world’s game can be a powerful force to foster positive social change. From August 6th to 14th, Michell will be among 70 International Youth Leaders from 30 different countries brought together for capacity building training, a Fair-Play Football Festival, and community engagement activities.

With a major focus upon gender equity and empowerment, the programs, trainings, and activities taking place at Festival ‘23 are designed to build a lasting social legacy. Therefore, the impact of Michell’s participation is sure to extend well past the 8-day festival itself as they return back to their home communities with a newfound set of skills, knowledge, and enthusiasm.

”I am very happy to have the opportunity to represent SWB in Australia during Festival ‘23,” said Michell. “I am very excited to know that I am going to live a new experience that will allow me to learn and see other points of view about the impact of sport on social change. I hope to return to Nicaragua with a better understanding of these ideas in order to share with my community the experience and knowledge learned throughout the festival.”

Upon returning home to Granada, Michell will be hosting an event for the local SWB Nicaragua community where she will be sharing the lessons learned from Festival ‘23. This local event, happening August 23rd, will not only be the perfect opportunity to share some exciting, first-hand stories from the FIFA Women’s World Cup, but will more importantly be a chance for Michell to inspire her fellow coaches, youth participants, and the entire community about the importance of advocating for gender equity in sports.

Coach Reyna Named Granada’s Outstanding Female Athlete

Reyna – a coach, program alumna, and former Nicaraguan National Team player from SWB Nicaragua (or Fútbol Sin Fronteras as it’s known locally) – was presented with an award for “Outstanding Female Athlete of the Municipality of Granada in Women’s Football.” The honor, presented by the Mayor of Granada, the Nicaraguan Sports Institute, the Alexis Arguello Sports Movement, and the National Sports Association, was given in recognition of Reyna’s unwavering commitment to leadership and her outstanding work promoting and implementing girls' soccer programming in Nicaragua.

“This is for girls to see that all their dreams can be fulfilled,” Reyna said. “As long as they persevere and are consistent in everything they do.”

Reyna’s journey with Futbol Sin Fronteras (FSF) began when she was a child. As an FSF participant, it didn’t take long for the soccer pitch to become a space where she felt happy and safe. Later in life, as a player on the Nicaraguan National Team, soccer provided Reyna with the opportunity to travel to many countries, representing her country and the women’s game. It was during this time that Reyna developed her passion for leadership and recognized the influence that she could have on not only girls, but her entire community as well. This passion, combined with her experience as an FSF participant, led her to return to the organization, this time as an FSF coach!

“Well at first, I appreciated the way that I was treated by [my FSF] coaches when I was a participant,” Reyna said. “Then when I got a little older, I knew that I wanted to be just like them, to influence others just like they had done for me.”

When she began her new role as a FSF coach, Reyna immediately recognized the importance of creating a safe, fun, and welcoming space for the girls on her team. She focused on ways in which her players could experience the joy and freedom of soccer, just like she did as a child.

Since beginning her coaching career, Reyna has earned her Level C Coaching License, a huge testament to how hard she has worked to hone her craft and to ensure that every participant she coaches has the opportunity to reach their full potential. Her success as a coach is not only due to her experience as a player, but also because she is able to so clearly reflect those she serves–bringing her story back full circle.

"Why is it important to support female footballers?” reflects Reyna. “Well to start, it is important because it’s too common for a community to not have any organizations or role models who are working to support women's football.

When I was a young player at tournaments, there was always little support. Only your parents or your close friends would go to see you–usually only your parents would even know you were there! So now, I try to ensure that girls are empowered through football, ensuring that even more girls have access to the game.”

Congratulations Reyna! Your contributions on and off the field are not only making a lasting impact on the lives of many girls and women, but also for the game of women's soccer as a whole.

SWB Nicaragua Participants Give Back on Earth Day

In April, in celebration of Earth Day, participants and coaches from SWB Nicaragua spent the day giving back to the local community by cleaning up Campo La Villa and Multiestadio Granada, fields used to play the game we all love.  

At SWB, we work hard to "get them to the field." But sometimes, as our Nicaragua team reminds us, it is important to show our soccer fields some love as well!