From the 80’s, the idea that women were part of the discipline of women’s football began to materialize, but it had very few participants due to the popularity of this sport at a male level, and perhaps being practiced among women It was not well regarded at the time, because too much physical contact was required, so the idea of women playing this role of athlete was not taken very seriously, not even when Fifa tried to promote the development of this activity .
In a country like Colombia, where machismo is still reflected in many aspects, not only sports, the lack of sponsorship, support or dissemination regarding the practice of women’s football will always be closely linked, since there is still the thought that the Football is a sport for men, which has sometimes led to situations of discrimination.
After many years of struggle, only until the end of the 90’s was it possible to form the first Colombian Women’s National Team and be able to give legitimacy to this discipline as well as to the clubs that years later began their process and that today continue to encourage the new promises of women’s football.In Pereira, the promotion of this sport has been carried out in several schools that seek to motivate hundreds of girls and young people to start their practices as soccer players.
The coach Eduardo Garzón, belonging to the Jega Club, has been forming different groups with those who have been interested in the practice of football and after several years he has been carrying out a very interesting process that has allowed him to form the first female Pereira team that hopes to participate in competitions At national and international level.
How has the support for women’s football been?
“Unfortunately, the directives of Dimayor, Dif Fútbol, all these private entities that manage Colombian football and especially women’s football must give a significance and significant importance to what it really is, because there are many girls, athletes, women who have been preparing to move forward and project themselves in the sports environment and in professional football, it is a life option, a profession like any other, it is to give each of them the possibility so that they can fulfill their dreams “, affirms the Professor Garzón in an interview with El Diario.
How have you been keeping the project alive?
“I think the support that all government entities must provide both at the municipal, departmental and national levels is very significant, so that women’s football continues to grow and continue to advance, that is why today the clubs have made the decision to organize national tournaments to allow our girls, youth and adolescents to participate and have the possibility of having a national competition and being able to face other departments ”.
What responsibilities does the role of a women’s soccer coach entail?
“We as coaches must be trainers because they are girls, they are young, they are adolescents who are in an evolutionary process and where our role is to help that integral formation that is the most valuable, to have integral people within the field of play and Within a formation of teams, we are the ones called, apart from an interdisciplinary group that we must have, to support families because we know that many of the families present some difficulties not only socially, but also economically, so our role is also adjusted to this educational and formative work in each of our girls and families ”. “I believe that we as coaches and as trainers should have that benefit from the Government, because the role of the coach is very significant, because we help to train human beings for society, for life, to be every day better human beings and better people ”, concluded coach Garzón.