Arsenal defender Leah Williamson will turn into the primary England girls’s footballer to handle the United Nations when she speaks on the Sustainability Development Goals Summit in New York on Tuesday.
The 26-year-old, who captained the Lionesses to the European Championship title final summer season, is ready to discuss her go to to Za’atari in Jordan, the most important Syrian refugee camp on the earth, as a part of the Coaching for Life programme collectively run by Arsenal and Save the Children.
Williamson was compelled to overlook this summer season’s World Cup, the place the Lionesses completed runners-up, after rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament in April and was capable of mix the restoration course of with charitable work.
She instructed Arsenal’s membership web site: “Sport has the power to change lives – but it’s still not a level playing field for so many girls around the world.
“Football definitely changed my life. After visiting the Za’atari refugee camp, I’ve seen first-hand how our football programme, Coaching for Life, is helping the girls in the camp cope better with the challenges they face.
“Almost all women footballers will have a story about the challenges they faced taking up the game, but at least in countries like England and America we had a chance.
“In some countries, girls have social restrictions that limit their access to playing football and that has to change. ”
This is essential all all over the world as properly – to handle deep-rooted stereotypes
Leah Williamson
Coaching for Life was launched in 2018 with a mission to help the bodily and psychological wellbeing of kids and households affected by the battle in Syria.
Since then, the variety of women participating has elevated from a small minority to a fair cut up between female and male graduates.
Williamson added: “At first, fathers in the camp were reluctant for their daughters to get involved – but then relented.
“They saw how their daughters became empowered. We are now moving towards a gender-transformative approach in the camp.
“This is key all around the world as well – to address deep-rooted stereotypes. We need to involve men and boys in the conversation about positive masculinity and the barriers women and girls face.”
