Girl Bosses on the Pitch Kicking Down Stereotypes

2026-02-25 - 08:44

Listen to the AI generated audio of the text. Your browser does not support the audio element. Every morning at 10 a.m., ten-year-old Varduhi Vardanyan rushes to her village football field for training. She’s a student in Shenavan, a village in Armenia’s Aragatsotn region. Nine of the ten girls in her class play football. Football in Armenia is still largely seen as a men’s sport. But that may soon change. The girls from Shenavan are part of UEFA Playmakers, a program run by the Union of European Football Associations. It introduces young girls to football through regional kindergartens and schools. The program is a collaboration between UEFA, the English Football Association, and Disney. Designed for girls aged 5 to 8 who have never played football before, it introduces them to the sport through storytelling and familiar animated characters. This approach helps them develop a range of skills before gradually engaging with football itself. The girls from Shenavan now train and compete with the Akhtamar Football Club. Varduhi Vardanyan “When people find out that we play football, they’re surprised and say it’s not for girls. One day, our gym teacher told us about a football program for the girls at school. I immediately decided to join. Now I’m a striker and the top goal scorer on our team.” “I want to become a footballer, but to be honest, I don’t know any famous women footballers. When we used to lose, everyone’s faces would change. Now that we’re winning, everyone is happy. We’ve also learned how to lose, we understand that we need to play better and strive for victory, not just feel sad.” While the girls of Shenavan are already making plans for their footballing future, children in Vosketap, a village in Armenia’s Ararat region, are taking their first steps with the UEFA Playmakers program. Their coach Tehmina Mkrtchyan, is a former footballer who completed specialized training to help young participants understand and navigate their emotions through the program. Tehmina Mkrtchyan “At this stage, we focus on motivating the children and helping them become comfortable with the ball. Today, we explored new emotions—shame and jealousy. They’re already familiar with joy, sadness, fear and anger. We introduce these concepts through animated characters. Over eight training sessions, they’ll develop a full understanding of all this. “I played football for four years, and I can say that if we’d had the opportunity to prepare future footballers with this level of depth, to enter sporting life with a more comprehensive understanding, it would have made a significant difference.” Anna Aleksanyan, coordinator and instructor of the Playmakers program, says the program’s primary goal is to break stereotypes and demonstrate that girls can succeed and win. Anna Aleksanyan “We show girls they can be heroes, leaders, and problem-solvers who win. We create an environment where they feel free and believe in their own abilities. Ideally, every football club should have girls’ teams. Many still think football is only for boys, but that is not the case.” “Many say there are no activities in the village and that this at least gives children something to do. But we’re doing everything we can to ensure the children don’t simply take part in the program, but truly connect with football after it ends and begin their sporting journey as independent women footballers.” The Football Federation of Armenia reports that over 5,000 children have participated in the program. At least 20% have continued their football journey by joining clubs. The biggest challenge for women’s football in Armenia remains the scarcity of clubs with women’s teams. Many people still believe football is “not a sport for girls.” Comment Cover photo by Roubina Margossian. 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