MIAMI, Florida – Concacaf Head of Women’s Football Karina LeBlanc’s insatiable desire to grow women’s football in the region enjoyed another successful step forward last week in Barbados.
LeBlanc was on hand at an event hosted by Concacaf W and Coaches Across Continents in which 150 girls who took part in footballing activities over the course of a day.
By the end, it was clear to LeBlanc that the pilot program was a rousing success.
“This was a pilot project to grow participation. Some of these girls had never even played football before, yet for many this went from them never having played football to being one of the best days of their lives. It all serves the purpose of helping these girls realize that through football they can become the best versions of themselves,” said LeBlanc in an exclusive interview with Concacaf.com.
Among the activities were a series of games and drills to help build soccer skills and learn about teamwork.
“They got to do fun things like Mingle Mingle games, handshakes, but also learned things about movement and different body shapes. I think at the end, the overall sense from these girls was that they learned they are strong, they are powerful and that football is awesome,” said LeBlanc.
LeBlanc is hopeful that last week’s pilot in Barbados can be expanded to other sites in the region.
“Other countries want things like this. We want to do more of these. These girls leave wanting more. They say, ‘We love Concacaf W and we want more of this.’ We are working together as a Confederation, building from the Next Play foundation, to grow the women’s game,” said LeBlanc.
While acknowledging the complexities of serving 41 different Member Associations, LeBlanc stressed the importance of Concacaf paving the way to opportunities for all aspiring young women’s footballers in the region.
“There are 41 different realities in Concacaf, so we have to understand as a Confederation how we can impact that. It all starts with our strategic pillars of Growth, Development and Communication. We can show that football is fun, that there are opportunities in football to play for your country, get free education. With these girls, it is important that Concacaf is always showing up,” concluded LeBlanc.
