Passion & Freedom

Ana, Mexico

Proyecto Cantera is an NGO based in Mexico City where values, life skills and healthy behaviours are promoted and developed through football in collaboration with homes, schools, and community centres. Founded in 2008, the organisation works with girls, boys, adolescents and young people between ages 4-23 living in vulnerable conditions in Mexico, with a focus on development, respect, social inclusion, and gender equality. Ana has been part of the Proyecto Cantera programme since 2016 and lives in Casa Hogar Margarita, a home in Mexico City for girls and boys aged 4-20.

My name is Ana Santos, I was born in a small town in Mexico called San Miguel Tlalpoalan in the state of Veracruz. I started playing football at the age of 12, thanks to Proyecto Cantera. 

I live in Casa Hogar Margarita (CHM). It is an NGO helping girls with low resources so that they can continue with their studies. Here we are given support to carry out our homework and schoolwork. We also have teachers who teach us football, English, computer skills, and martial arts. They also care about our health and psychological well-being and, if we require it, they provide us with therapies.

CHM has the objective that children have the opportunity to fulfil themselves both academically, emotionally and physically, so they decided to collaborate with Proyecto Cantera so that we could train and enjoy football.

At first football was not of interest to me, but as the teachers from Proyecto Cantera began to teach us and practise with us, I began to have more confidence in my skills.

Football still scares me a little, mainly when I play as a goalkeeper, but little by little I have been learning certain techniques that help me avoid feeling overwhelmed when I find myself in this situation.

What did you try to capture with the photos? Was there a wider meaning?

The photos were taken at Casa Hogar Margarita. This is where we practise, so I thought it was a good idea to capture some moments of our football games.

I showed the boys and girls who live in Casa Hogar Margarita, because I know that each one of them has their own story, their own feelings and ideas, but when the football class starts they put aside all their worries and start having fun. Football has helped them develop their skills and has brought them together as a family.

I tried to capture the effort and energy each child puts into playing, and to try to show the integrity of boys and girls playing as a team.

The photograph that I like the most is where we can see a girl as a goalkeeper and two others trying to retrieve the ball from the boy who is carrying it, because it shows that at least in this class there is no gender division. Also, seeing how children start playing from a young age with the aim of having fun and learning makes my heart very happy.

CHM is a space in which I feel very happy, since I live with other kids and also with the staff who work with us every day so that we have many skills for our future, for which I feel very grateful.

What role does football play in your community and Mexican society?

Where I grew up, football has been a very important factor in the growth of children and young people in Mexico. It gives us the opportunity to feel free while we play, as well as helping us communicate with others. However, in many other Mexican communities, football is not usually very important, in addition to the fact that often there are not enough spaces to play.

Football has begun to be more inclusive in terms of the people who play it. We see more women's teams and mixed groups playing on the sports courts and now it is exciting to see professional women play in the Liga MX Femenil.

What are the opportunities for women and girls to play sports in your community and in Mexico?

I am lucky to have Proyecto Cantera, which has been a great opportunity for me. Since I started taking classes with them I have loved playing football. But for my community it can be a little more complicated. Despite the fact that there are sports fields that we can all use, I believe that the lack of coaches who are willing to work with girls and women has somewhat prevented women from playing.

What impact has the Proyecto Cantera program had on you and your community?

Since being part of Proyecto Cantera I have felt more free to be who I am. It has helped me overcome many emotional difficulties. When I am on the pitch with the ball I feel more liberated, I put aside all my stress and just enjoy myself.

What does football mean to you?

For me football means passion and freedom. It is a sport where I can be competitive, but also be respectful and self-disciplined. It is a game where I put my values ​​into practice with each of my classmates and teachers. I have always firmly believed that in football we can put our differences aside, and that everyone should have the same opportunity to practise and enjoy this sport.

What ambitions do you have for the future?

I want to be a self-confident person, with a greater breadth of knowledge to be able to help myself and the community around me. I want to finish my studies and have a good job that gives me the opportunity to have enough money to travel, buy an apartment, and not depend on anyone. I want to be a person who feels happy with what they do and have, and always fight for what I want.

What do you think the future looks like for sports in your community and country? What do you want to change ? How would you improve gender equality?

I think that if young people could practise this sport more frequently, football would be played in every corner of Mexico. Football can provide children and young people, regardless of gender, the opportunity to develop skills and abilities that help them grow physically and emotionally healthy.

On the other hand, football has often been seen as a somewhat rough sport and that is often scary. Therefore, I would like more work to be done on encouraging fair play. I say this because being part of the Proyecto Cantera programme, where they always teach us the importance of good values ​​in each class and encounter with any person, I realise that it has worked for us. Football is a space where we must conduct ourselves with respect towards our teammates and opponents.