Support women's sports and SHARE this story with your friends!

On June 6, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will launch the Women’s World Cup Initiative: Empowering Women and Girls Through Sports. The event will take place at approximately 9:30 a.m. ET at the Department of State and will be streamed live on www.state.gov. In her address, Secretary of State Clinton will highlight the immense influence Title IX has had on girls and women in the United States, and will talk about her goal to see similar initiatives undertaken worldwide.

Among the guests that will be in attendance are current USWNT players Ali Krieger, Lori Lindsey, Nicole Barnhart, Jillian Loyden, former USWNT members Linda Hamilton and Tiffany Roberts, former USWNT coach Lauren Gregg, Olympic gold medalists Michelle Kwan and Dominique Dawes, and chairman of the 1999 Women’s World Cup/Women’s Sports Foundation Donna de Varona.

The initiative is a joint effort by the Bureau of Educational Cultural Affairs and the Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues that will work to create partnerships between the U.S. and foreign countries with the significance of women’s sports as its central theme. The 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup will be used as a platform to help promote the power of sports – namely soccer – as a force to empower women and girls worldwide.

Three girls and one coach have been selected from six countries – Bolivia, Germany, Malaysia, Pakistan, South Africa, and the Palestinian Territories – to participate in the proceedings. The sports visitors were nominated by U.S. embassies in their respective countries after earning personal recommendations.

The initiative has three facets that are all currently underway. The girls and coaches are currently in the U.S. and will be in attendance at Sunday’s USWNT send-off match versus Mexico in Harrison, New Jersey. On Wednesday, Tiffany Roberts will host a soccer clinic for the visitors before they return to the White House later in the day.

U.S. coaches and players have been sent oversees to work with local coaches and administrators. Briana Scurry and University of Central Florida head coach Amanda Cromwell recently traveled to Germany as U.S. envoys while others will visit Brazil this summer.

Coaches and administrators from foreign countries will also be traveling to the United States to exchange techniques and ideas. They will also examine how athletic programs for women and girls promote leadership, teamwork, respect, self awareness and life skills, and how sports and recreation programs can make a positive impact on at-risk and underserved youth.

The power of sports in girls’ lives can’t be discounted, especially in developing countries where educational opportunities for girls are limited. Studies show that girls that play sports show a higher tendency to go to school. One year of education increases a girl’s earning power by 15 to 20 percent.

“It’s not only the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do,” said a U.S. Department of State official. The initiative is expected to have a tremendous impact on the individuals involved, particularly for the sports visitors who will be set to spend time with the U.S. Women’s National Team days before the team departs for the World Cup.

The U.S. Department of State official continues, “These girls were playing on dirt fields, and now they’re meeting U.S. national team players. It’s the best of the best.”

Follow @AnnaTState on Twitter for live updates of the event on Monday, June 6.

Send to Facebook

Tweet This Post

Support women's sports and SHARE this story with your friends!

• Soccer
• Sports
• SportsPLUS
• WNT
• International/World
• FIFA

This post is related to an ongoing story:

• Women`s World Cup Initiative

View Original Post at allwhitekit.wordpress.com

View jennaawk's Full Profile