Gender Equity takes centre stage at WFS

Common Goal and World Football Summit unite to drive change

Last week, Common Goal joined forces with World Football Summit (WFS) to make gender equity a central theme at the first-ever WFS Monterrey. While this was the summit’s inaugural edition in Mexico, it marked the continuation of an eight-year collaboration between Common Goal and WFS — one rooted in shared values and a commitment to reshaping football as a driver for positive social impact. 

 This edition of WFS built on that legacy by intentionally designing space for gender equity at the heart of the agenda — through grassroots activations, powerful visual storytelling, and forward-looking dialogue on the future of the game in Latin America. 

Community Activation: Girls Taking the Pitch 

In collaboration with She Wins México, SOMOS Equidad, Club Tigres, and the Instituto Estatal de Cultura Física y Deporte de Nuevo León (INDE), a vibrant football session was held at Academia Mezquital, welcoming girls from the community onto the pitch in a joyful celebration of inclusion and opportunity. 

The “Academia de fútbol para niñas” was more than a match — it was a space where football became a tool to promote confidence, connection, and equity. Girls played, learned, and grew together — with local partners demonstrating how sport can shift narratives, open doors, and inspire a generation of young leaders. 

Storytelling Through Sport: “Mil Mujeres, Mil Historias” 

At WFS Monterrey, football was also expressed through image and story. The SOMOS Equidad movement unveiled the powerful photo exhibition “En la Cancha: Mil Mujeres, Mil Historias”, a traveling collection capturing the voices of women in football across Latin America. 

This exhibition is part of a broader movement that seeks to reposition football as a space for visibility, dignity, and cultural ownership for women and girls across the region. 

Panel Discussion: Gender Equity in American Football — A Call for Radical Collaboration 

A key moment at the summit was the panel "Gender Equity in American Football: Building a Unified, Inclusive Future", moderated by Isabella Echeverri — former professional footballer, Common Goal member, and one of the lead athletes behind the SOMOS Equidad movement. 

Isabella brought her unique perspective as both a player and advocate to guide a dynamic conversation that featured voices from Somos Equidad, She Wins México, and Fútbol Más. Together, they explored how football can become a force for deep, lasting social transformation across Latin America. 

Each organisation brought lived experience and frontline insight, aligning around a shared belief: football is a powerful driver for gender equity, and advancing inclusion is both an ethical obligation and a strategic opportunity. 

Representatives from She Wins shared how giving girls access to sport and education doesn’t just change individual lives — it restructures community dynamics, creating ripple effects that elevate families, neighbourhoods, and entire regions. 

Fútbol Más emphasized the power of football to build safe, trust-based spaces that foster emotional resilience and life skills — especially in vulnerable contexts. Their approach goes beyond sport, addressing the social fabric that supports or hinders equitable development. 

Meanwhile, Somos Equidad showcased its evolution from initiative to movement — now active in eight countries — and its focus on equipping coaches, clubs, and institutions with practical, inclusive methodologies designed for local cultural realities. 

Looking ahead to Mexico 2026 and Brazil 2027, panelists called for radical collaboration — across civil society, government, brands, and clubs — to ensure that upcoming global football events leave a legacy of equity, not just spectacle. 

The takeaway was clear: real change requires shared leadership. Through coordinated, multisector efforts, football can become a true platform for opportunity, especially for girls, women, and non-binary people who have historically been excluded from the game’s centre. 

In Conversation: Natalia Gaitán & Jürgen Griesbeck 

Closing the summit’s gender equity track, Colombian footballer Natalia Gaitán and Common Goal co-founder Jürgen Griesbeck sat down for a candid on-stage conversation about the future of football in Latin America. 

Reflecting on both the challenges and the momentum building across the region, their exchange centred on a hopeful message: football holds untapped potential to become a collective engine for justice, unity, and impact — but only if we reimagine who holds the mic, who sits at the table, and who the game is truly for. 

Toward a Game That Works for Everyone 

From grassroots action to global vision, Common Goal’s presence at WFS Monterrey demonstrated that gender equity is not a side issue — it’s a strategy for a stronger, more inclusive football industry. 

As Latin America prepares to host the next wave of global tournaments, there’s a historic opportunity to ensure that the legacy left behind is not only seen in stadiums, but in schools, communities, and lives transformed through the power of the game. 

Together, we can build a football ecosystem that reflects the world we want to live in — one where equity, joy, and purpose are the rule, not the exception.