At Eure, it wasn’t just Ousmane Dembele’s Ballon d’Or that made football shine. In Vernon (Eure), Espace Laïque Vernonnais (ELV), an association with a well-known educational, cultural and social vocation in the sector, decided to take the ball to put mothers and daughters on the futsal pitch for the first edition of the Women’s Nations Cup.
“We work a lot with children and teenagers, but reaching parents and especially women is more complicated,” said Goundo Niakaté, one of the facilitators and pillars of ELV. And because for the past two years, the Nations Cup has been held for children and teenagers around April, the young woman had the idea to make it feminine.
“Teenagers encourage their mothers to sign up! »
Aimed at those over 15 years old, whether experienced players or new to the game, the event will take place this Sunday, November 23 at the Boutardes gymnasium with eight teams, from France to Mali, via Senegal, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Mauritania and Egypt. And of course the public is welcome to come and cheer them on.
“There were a total of 90 participants, the oldest was 50 years old. There were even people from Gaillon, from Andelys. We didn’t expect much. We saw that women’s football was very developed. And what was clear was that the teenagers encouraged their mothers to register! »
Outside of the sporting dimension, the Women’s Nations Cup is an opportunity for ELV to build relationships between families who don’t necessarily know each other. “For about a month, we have been organizing sports sessions on Friday evenings so that everyone can prepare and play small games with the ball. And we intend to maintain these gatherings throughout the year,” said Goundo Niakaté, convinced that the universal values of sport encourage exchange.
