Adidas has signed up as a founding partner of United for Girls, a new initiative from the U.S. Soccer Foundation aimed at increasing opportunities for girls and women from underserved communities to play football. Adidas' participation in United for Girls is part of the brand's “She Breaks Barriers” initiative to inspire and support young female athletes.
The goal of United for Girls is to double both the number of girls impacted by the U.S. Soccer Foundation's programs and the number of female coach-mentors of the Foundation over the next three years. Adidas is collaborating with the Foundation to help fight a severe dropout rate and lack of participation of young girls, especially from undeserved communities, in sports in the U.S.
In order to increase the participation of girls and women in football, United for Girls will focus on a variety of targets and activities, from increasing the participation of girls within the existing programs to expanding its current network of partners, while also identifying new opportunities to tackle the barriers to participation on both the local and national levels, and more.
Meanwhile, Nike has released a highly emotional commercial spot on the occasion of the eighth edition of the Fifa Women's World Cup, which is taking place in France until July 7. The spot, created by Wieden+Kennedy, follows a ten-year-old female player, Makena Cook, as she experiences match situations. The ad ends with the empowering message: “Don't change your dream. Change the world.”
Observers feel that women are taking football more seriously in many countries. There is a report that sales of women's football jerseys have risen by 50 percent during the Women's World Cup in Spain, where the women's team of FC Barcelona reached the finals during the latest Women's Champion's League, but was defeated by the French Olympique de Lyon team.
