‘In Serbia there’s a stereotype that soccer is only for boys. Through our project we wanted to show that girls can be excellent soccer plays too,’ says Dunja Paunovic ’15.
On March 20 she organized a women’s soccer tournament for 120 teenage girls from Smederevo, Serbia. The project partner, soccer field ‘Petlic’, provided the venue and a sound system for free and invited three volunteer referees. Besides promoting healthy lifestyle and sports among girls, the event aimed to raise money to send one participant to a soccer summer camp in Zlatibor.
A girls soccer team ‘Red Star’ from Belgrade attended the tournament and played against home teams. The atmosphere both on the field and among the spectators was very warm and friendly:
‘Crowds cheered and proud parents took photos of their daughters playing. The team spirit was incredible and, of course, team-mates quickly became friends with each other,’ says Dunja.
The top three teams received medals and souvenir statuettes. The tournament was covered on Facebook and Instagram.
The FLEX alumna believes that investing in the girls’ future based on their talents and interests will contribute to the community’s development greatly. Therefore, she plans to continue promoting women’s sports in her area.
