GGWCup 2019 Champions Rise In The Heart Of Europe
by Magdaléna Benešová
Wednesday May 29, early morning. Hundreds hours of preparations, nervosity and planning are about to become a reality. This day is the day of the very first Global Goals World Cup Prague. In one of the most busiest places in the capital city of Czech Republic, Prague, on the Wenceslav Square in historical part of the city, has grown up through the night like by magic wand the special ladies football arena.
The atmosphere of summer time when the city is waking up is charming. Everyone from the production team, staff, and volunteers is on their spot. Everyone is ready, but still there is „something“ missing, but it has changed quite quickly: first women teams are on their way and they are bringing with them absolutely unique flow – energetic and powerful of feminity.
The utility space in IKEA point nearby has transformed into a changing room, preparation place and meeting point. Teams are getting to know each other, women are sharing their stories, talking about their first feelings with football sneakers and about progress in training, about what all those trainings gave them and mainly how they became close with their teammates, how they have made friendships and strong connections, and all of this in a good purpose to play for better world represented by Sustainable Development Goals.
Women of every shape, experiences, environment, from different workplaces. Eighteen teams from small NGO’s or big companies as the Czech Post, the biggest employer in the Czech Republic whose team Yellow Ladies eventually became the winner of Prague Tournament and played for SDG 3 Good Health and Well-Being. Or an amazing team Angels from Montesorri School Andílek with nice costumes with angel wings playing for SDG 4 Quality Education. Or wonderful young ladies The Same from children’s home with rough destiny who played for SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities. Or fantastic women from Czech Ministry of Foreign Relations FK Czernins’s Lions as female representatives of institutional apparatus who played for SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions and many other stunning stories in one and the only arena.
The sound was on, the matches were set, the first photos has been made, the fans were on their spots and the tournament was ready to start. The teams were on their way singing, dancing, screaming. The arena was theirs, the flow was theirs, the day was theirs. Cheering, supporting, joy, fatigue and mainly full of mutuality.
The head of judges, choreographer, professional dancer & SDG ambassador Yemi A.D.
The jury panel was fascinated and their eyes were tacked on the field which changed to them to amazing theatre stage. Especially the head of judges, choreographer, professional dancer and SDG ambassador Yemi A.D. was absolutely caught by beautiful teams‘s performances and dances linked to the particular themes and SDGs.
The tournament experience was incredible. The matches were full of colors that depicted the chosen Goals. The fans were cheering, the teams made the best of themselves, which meant sometimes putting a disabled player in front of themselves, giving priority to another woman at the ball and sometimes it meant playing to the last ounce of strength and fighting for each pass.
All of them wanted to win, but all of them were already winners long before they came to the GGWCup arena. The teams after tournament said, that the strongest feeling from the whole day was that they would never ever forget this day and how they felt and how they enjoyed the game and the others. And this is the reason we are glad to be GGWCup organisers and to be part of this world community, which gives women the place and opportunity to let them shine.
About Host Partner
Association of Social Responsibility
The Association of Social Responsibility is the largest initiative of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Czechia. Within its unique vision, and with more than 300 members, the Association brings together involved parties and it links organizations from the corporate, non-profit, educational, and public sectors to increase their CSR and sustainable business potential and abilities.
Since 2016, A-CSR has been the national ambassador of a major global event Giving Tuesday and as such, the Association has contributed to the culture of donation in Czechia. Since 2017, the Association has been organizing the prestigious SDGs Awards that are a unique way of recognition of fulfilling the UN SDGs in Czechia. In cooperation with its members, the Association brings to Czechia other global initiatives such as Plogging Czechia, an eco-friendly activity combining jogging with picking up litter. As the national partner of the United Nations Global Compact, A-CSR helps to bring to Czechia the global and unique know-how of this world’s largest sustainable business platform within the United Nations.
In 2020 we will continue our collaboration and bring back the GGWCup.