Play like a girl. The phrase is a clear message of encouragement for girls who want, like or simply get interested in soccer or any other sport. From the motto came a project. The “Jogue Como Uma Garota Futebol Clube”, or JCUG for the most intimate, was born from a dream of humorist (and former Casperian) Letticia Munniz to unite women and soccer in a light, fun and inclusive way.
The meetings began in January of this year. Letticia says that the idea emerged after the World Cup, when she realized the strength of the men’s soccer in relation to females, still erased in the Brazilian scenario. From there she started to study the sport and play once a week with friends, until arriving at the concretization of the project.
The trainings
Image Source: Instagram/joguecomoumagarotafc
The training sessions take place at least once a month on the court of Vila Mariana Community Square, South Zone of São Paulo. You doesn’t need technique, skill or familiarity with the ball to be part of the team: just arrive at the scheduled time and enjoy playing, learning and making new friends.
The whole technical part is also performed only by women. Renata Medeiros, Ana Cláudia Mayumi, Camila Dantas and Karen Dorta are the coaches responsible for the training sessions.
“Like a girl”
Image Source: Instagram/joguecomoumagarotafc
Letticia has a strong influence on her social networks, especially on Instagram, addressing issues such as feminism, self-esteem and relationships. Despite the almost always funny approaches, the messages behind it have very important purposes.
In the last year, the comedian also went on to talk about women’s lack of representation in sports, especially in soccer. “Boys are encouraged to play sports since they are born, for fun, since girls are only encouraged when they enter adolescence, by aesthetic pressure. Nobody teaches us that we can also exercise or play sports to have fun”, she said.
Thus came the idea of creating the project, precisely to promote the inclusion of these women. “I wish they had told me that girls can do any sport. That’s why regardless of whether we like soccer or not, I started to want to fight not only for our rights but for all women’s rights.”