AFTER a successful first season of La Ligue D’Égalité, the second edition kicked off even stronger, with more than double the number of girls joining the league hoping to pursue their dreams of becoming young football stars.
The football league based in Yaoundé, Cameroon is aimed at girls under 13 and 15 years old and organized by NGO Petrichor and LaLiga, with the collaboration of its foundation and its women’s football department.
This socio-sports programme was created with the aim of giving girls in the central region of Cameroon the opportunity to take part in a fully regulated football league, as well as to enjoy all the learning aspects that sport entails. For the new season, the number of participants has grown considerably compared to the first edition, from 180 girls and 40 coaches to more than 550 girls and 50 coaches registered for this second season of the project.
The Ligue D’Égalité started its programme of activities with the implementation of different theoretical and practical training sessions led by a coach from the FUNDACIÓN LaLiga, who has developed a total of 4 workshops using the ‘Values to Win‘ methodology.
This type of training initiative was very positively received by the participants in the first edition. More than 70% of the project coaches valued being taught a specific value training methodology that they could apply to their team.
Furthermore, Anair Lomba, ex-professional player, and project manager of LaLiga’s women’s football department held a workshop last Friday with the La Ligue D’Égalité coaches, who enjoyed a fun and relaxed training session led by a footballer with extensive experience in the world of football. In addition, Lomba was in charge of handing out the certificates for the training courses to the participants of the project.
The Spanish Ambassador to Cameroon, Ignacio Rafael García Lumbreras, is among those who showed his full support to the project
To celebrate the launch of the new season of La Ligue D’Égalité, there was a day of handing out sports equipment such as kits, along with the inauguration of the regular competition, in which 162 matches will be played over the next 6 months.
Paul Dreisbach, President of Petrichor, declares that “It’s a dream come true to see La Ligue D’Égalité grow like this. We believe that there are key moments in youth development that drive a player’s life, goals, and commitments, and through this programme we are providing the space for these moments to happen, using the power of sport as a tool for social change”.
Meanwhile, Trésor Penku, LaLiga’s delegate in Central Africa, believes that “the launch of the second edition of the project provides great motivation and excitement for women in the region, who see football as a way of building their character and developing their skills, as well as expressing themselves, being valued and treated on an equal footing”.
