Frequently asked questions
The most important thing to know is: This is an all-women 5v5 football tournament, and after each game a panel of capable judges will give out points in four distinct categories: Action, Crowd, Style, Football Score.
Football questions
Can the goalkeeper come out of the box? Because we don’t have lines on the field, it is a fine judgement by the goalkeeper and the referee how many steps the goalkeeper moves out of the goal when she has the ball. We say 3 to 4 meters at most.
What happens when the ball goes out of bounds? If the ball goes out of bounds, it is a kick in for the other team. We only use kick ins, not throw ins, which means that the player who is closest to where the ball went out of bounds, puts the ball in front of her and passes it to her teammates. She cannot dribble the ball in nor shoot on goal from a kick in.
Are there penalty kicks? Yes, there are penalty kicks. We use the so called ‘American’ way, where a player can dribble the ball from the middle to try to score a goal. The goalie is allowed to move from the line in the goal.
Are there yellow cards and red cards? We do not use red or yellow cards.
What will the pitch look like? Will the ball ever leave the pitch? The pitch is 18x10 m, classic street style pitches: Sometimes the field is fully covered by net, sometimes not. In Copenhagen 2019 we will play on concrete, in Prague 2019 on grass and in New York a wooden floor on the 48th floor.
How long is a game and how many games will a team play? Each game is six minutes and each team will play a minimum of three games before the semifinals and the final.
Can we wear soccer boots when playing or what shoes are recommended? Sneakers or indoor football shoes. You cannot wear soccer boots or cleats.
How are we allowed to substitute? Is it just sub as you go, or do we have to wait to sub in a new player? All teams can sub as often as they wish. We play with 5 on the field and with 2-3 subs. Make sure your player is out before a new player enters the field.
My team is composed of women who have never played football. How is it going to go when they have to play against teams with experienced footballers? How can we make sure they can still compete against these types of teams? Some teams will have football experience, some will not have any experience at all - and that’s part of the game when playing in a GGWCup. It’s also why winning a game only counts ¼ of the points given (see section ““What are the 4 points given in a GGWCUP - and how?” below).
Can the coaches also play? Or do the coaches have to stay as coaches? Each team in a GGWCup tournament consists of 5-8 players, including 1 coach. This means that you as a coach are free to play if you are a woman.
What happens if someone gets injured during a game? There will be medical staff present at the tournament. We advise all teams and players to have the needed insurance, as we do not have the insurance to cover players.
Location questions
Please find all local information on the relevant TOURNAMENT page.
Who can play in a GGWCUP team?
Women 18 years and up
A GGWCUP team consists of any 5 to 8 women.
To qualify your team, you must pick one of the 17 Global Goals to advocate for.
The winner of each tournament qualifies to play in our GGWCUP Finals.
Ready to sign up? Sign up here.
The GGWCUP Point System
We love the team effort and competing is playful. In a GGWCUP we champion the combined effort, because we believe that when we support each other and take collective actions, we will be the biggest support to the world and create successful change with a long term impact.
We also believe in building meaningful togetherness across team borders that can go beyond our imagination. Therefore, we encourage everyone to keep an eye out and cheer for the other teams playing in the same tournament as you and your team.
The GGWCUP point system is a guideline and reflects the many ways we all can play for a better world and give women the opportunity to play for the world they want - and be the best team for the world.
A panel of capable judges will give out points in four distinct categories: Action, Crowd, Style, Football Score.
What are the sponsor and partner opportunities?
GGWCUP is an open women’s activist football tournament designed for women to expand the scope of a conventional sport event. We are comfortable at the intersection between sport, art, culture and activism. Our vision is to merge true global citizenship with the game of football.
Since 2016 Global Goals World Cup events around the world have connected women with stakeholders from all parts of society to form plans, actions and partnerships to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Please reach out to our co-founder Majken Gilmartin on how you’d like to get involved.
What are the United Nations 17 Global Goals?
The Global Goals are also known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In September 2015 World Leaders committed to the Global Goals for Sustainable Development. 17 goals to achieve 3 extraordinary things by 2030. End extreme poverty. Fight inequality and injustice. Tackle climate change.
You can say The Global Goals is the ultimate To-Do list for the world:
The Global Goals address worldwide challenges. This means they are for everyone; whether you live in Nairobi, Copenhagen or New York City.
Every Global Goals contain specific sub-goals and a plan of how to achieve them.
Each Global Goal is considered equally important and none should be neglected.
The Global Goals mutually support each other, helping to ensure that we achieve the global goals by 2030. For example, access to electricity will allow a child to study after sunset. If this electricity comes from a sustainable source of energy such as solar power (SDG 7), this in turn will help fight climate change (SDG 13) and the solar power industry can support the sustainable economic development of developing countries (SDG 11).
In order to reach the Goals by 2030, we all need to work together, take responsibility, and remember that even the very small things makes a world of a difference.
The manpower of 1.8 billion people, play a crucial role to transform this from a plan to real action. You and all the young people will be the ones influenced by success or failure of these Goals.
