IN another nod to the strides made by the Philippine women’s football team of late, two of its players are featured in the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) “It’s My Game” campaign, which celebrates women’s contribution to Asian football and emphasizes their varied roles within it, illustrating football as a career option for women and girls.
Sara Castañeda and Inna Palacios, Philippine Malditas members who helped the team in its spirited run in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, which was played last April in Jordan, appear in videos as part of the campaign of the football confederation.
In her video, Ms. Castañeda, who is a midfielder for De La Salle University, shared her sacrifices as a young player en route to pursuing her dreams on the field.
“The biggest obstacle is being away from family and not having time off, not being able to go on vacation. But football is a time when you can just let go of everything and just enjoy the game,” she shared in her video.
Also appearing in the campaign videos is Filipino referee Merlo Silva Albano.
The “It’s My Game” campaign started on March 8 this year on the AFC Women’s Football Day. So far, it has garnered a total reach of 497,752 on the AFC’s digital platforms, with 271,905 impressions and 240,571 video views.
AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said that with the campaign they hope to underscore the vital contribution of women’s play in further growing the sport by inspiring more people to pick up the sport.
“We celebrate the women who work for the betterment of Asian football in our member associations, driven by their passion for the game. As the AFC strives to fulfill its vision of excellence, we cannot afford to ignore the vital contribution women make, on and off the pitch,” the AFC president said.
“Asia is the world’s biggest football stadium and women and girls are an important part of the future success of the game in the continent. Fulfilling Asia’s football potential is possible only if it includes everyone: women, men, boys and girls. I trust that the It’s My Game campaign will encourage girls across Asia to see football as a viable future career option,” he added. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
