Anantapur Sports Academy, La Liga and Vicente Ferrer Foundation inspire a paradigm shift in women’s football

Residential
academy

One
of
these
projects
is
the
residential
academy
at
Anantapur
for
girls
which
participated
in
the
activities
organised
by
the
Vicente
Ferrer
Foundation,
through
the
Rural
Development
Trust
(RDT),
and
La
Liga,
via
its
Women’s
Football
Department
and
its
Foundation.

The
Anantapur
Sports
Academy
(ASA)
recently
completed
its
first
course,
with
20
girls
in
the
U-15
age
category
from
rural
communities
receiving
a
one-year
financial
and
training
scholarship
to
live
and
train
at
the
Anantapur
Sports
Village
(ASV)
facilities.

The
residential
academy
provides
them
with
the
opportunity
to
improve
their
skills
and
contribute
to
their
personal
development,
as
well
as
giving
the
girls
the
opportunity
to
pursue
their
dream
of
playing
football
at
a
higher
level,
and
to
have
the
possibility
of
continuing
their
career
in
the
sport.

Pursue
dreams

The
residential
academy
provided
them
with
the
opportunity
to
improve
their
skills
and
contribute
to
their
personal
development,
as
well
as
giving
the
girls
the
opportunity
to
pursue
their
dream
of
playing
football
at
a
higher
level,
and
to
have
the
possibility
of
continuing
their
career
in
the
sport.

Thanks
to
this
project,
the
girls
involved
had
the
option
of
training
in
high
quality
sports
facilities,
with
good
nutrition
and
proper
educational
follow-up,
which
is
inaccessible
to
the
majority
of
the
population
in
such
regions.

Formal
schooling

As
a
result
of
the
initiative,
they
have
all
been
enrolled
in
formal
schools
and
have
received
classes
in
social
skills,
computer
skills,
health
care,
as
well
as
being
given
sports
equipment
and
training
sessions.

The
academy
also
provides
an
educational
development
plan
for
the
most
talented
participants
from
this
area
to
help
them
pursue
a
career
in
football,
honing
their
skills
under
the
tutelage
of
qualified
coaches
who
oversee
and
co-ordinated
the
project.

Paradigm
shift

For
ASA
Director
Sai
Krishna,
the
most
difficult
challenge
was
in
getting
girls
involved
in
sporting
activities.
“In
Anantapur,
none
of
them
played
sport.
Currently,
45
per
cent
of
the
participants
in
all
our
projects
are
girls.
A
paradigm
and
mentality
shift
is
taking
place
that
is
necessary
to
move
the
culture
towards
tolerance
and
equality,”
Krishna
said.

His
views
were
shared
by
La
Liga
Foundation
Director
Olga
de
la
Fuente
and
La
Liga
Women’s
Football
Department
Director
Pedro
Malabia.