FOOTBALL FESTIVALS FOR GIRLS – BRIGHT FUTURE OFF WOMEN'S FOOTBALL

Football Association of Serbia organized the first Football Festival for Girls and gathered almost 2000 participants from all over the country. Girls aged 5 – 12 enjoyed the magic of football and a three-hour diverse program at the FA of Serbia Sports Centre in Stara Pazova.

At the opening of the festival, Miss Ruža Ilić, FA of Serbia grassroots manager, who oversees all women’s football development programs, was the first to take the stage:

“It is a great honour and pleasure for me to stand before you today. There are all my colleagues who work hard every day to ensure that every girl has the opportunity to play football, there are the national team players who have paved the path to a brighter future and showed that everything is possible if you believe in it hard enough, and the most important, there are you, brought here by the love you have for football. Two years ago, we had a great campaign, the results of which we can still see today, and I would like to ask you all to repeat out loud its main message– Football is for girls”, Miss Ilić concluded her speech in the best way, while the words echoed in the stadium.

FA of Serbia welcomed some guests of the festival, UEFA representatives Alyssa Lagonia and John Ackerley. Ms Lagonia is a former Canada national team player and a representative of the Women’s Football Department, also known as the manager of the UEFA project Disney Playmakers.

“It is impressive to see such a large number of girls, FA of Serbia is really doing a great job. Since I myself played professional football until recently, and I used to be just a girl who fantasized about it, just like you, I can confirm that football is definitely for girls. I want you to enjoy football today, socialize and have fun. I’ll see you on the pitch”, said Ms Lagonia.

Before the start of the official program, the whole stadium was buzzing, the girls were singing Serbian anthem, just like the women’s national team that play their official matches there, and then there was a greeting that echoed with a clear message – Football is for girls!

Jelena Čanković, Jovana Damnjanović, Milica Mijatović, Violeta Slović, Marija Ilić, Dejana Stefanović, Tijana Filipović, Andrijana Trišić, Marija Ilić and Sara Pavlović – the crème de la crème of Serbian women’s football, the present, looked into the eyes of the girls representing the future.

Besides the support to the festival, the Serbian women national team players gathered for another great occasion. Within their education for the coaching B license, in the role of coaches, they led the Football Slide – an innovative concept that combines competition in football skills with games of ability, know-how and thinking.

Along with the main pitch, there was not a corner of the FAS Sports Centre without smiling faces of girls and football balls and props. The greatest grassroots program, Let’s Play Football, gathered girls of school age who enjoyed football and educational activities, while the Marina Maljković’s Institute for Women’s Sports carried out activities on the pitch nearby, engaging girls from the program of free football school for girls, which they have been implementing in cooperation with FA of Serbia.

There was a special party inside the Sports Centre, where the youngest, pre-school participants showed what they learned through the UEFA Disney Playmakers program. A lot of colourful balls and bibs rolled in the sports hall, while the crayons dominated the side, with girls drawing their favourite cartoon heroes from The Incredibles, Ice Kingdom and Moana, with the magic of which through the Playmakers program they fell in love with football and learned its basic elements. With all the activities in the hall, they had the opportunity to enjoy the play “Football is for girls”, performed by Mary Poppins Travelling Theatre, playing, and having a good time with little actors from “Glumionica”, a theatre in Pančevo.

Girls returned to their homes with smiling faces, full of impressions, with new friendships and with an even greater wish to continue playing football.

From Subotica to Vranje, people will be talking – football is for girls!