Together We Can Make A Change
Shawni Latuheru, Netherlands
We have teamed up with the adidas Breaking Barriers Project to tell the stories of six coaches and leaders from sports organisations across Europe - from Spain, Netherlands, Croatia, Serbia, and Italy. The project empowers women to undertake leadership training which helps to break the barriers that girls across Europe face, giving them easier access to sport. Shawni Latuheru is a coach and youth worker from Moordrecht in The Netherlands.
Can you introduce yourself and tell us about how you got involved in football?
My name is Shawni Latuheru. I am 29 years old and living in a small village called Moordrecht in The Netherlands. I have worked as a youth worker for over four years at Stichting ZO. We have a Cruyff Court in our municipality and I am the resident coach, connecting me to the Johan Cruyff Foundation.
My role within the organisation is to help youngsters between 12 and 27 with their personal, educational, and social development in an informal setting. One part of my job is to organise sport activities for the youth to stimulate participation in sport. I have also played soccer for over 20 years.
What has your sports journey been like up until now?
When I was 9, I started playing soccer in an all-boys team, V.V. Moordrecht. At that time there were no girls’ or women’s teams. There were not many girls my age playing soccer and within the club there were only two other girls who played. During this time, I struggled a lot with my self-confidence. Many times I heard preconceptions like “girls cannot play soccer”. There were many barriers for me that I tried to overcome.
Women’s soccer has come a long way, but there are still barriers to break and sometimes they are the same barriers that I tried to overcome when I started. This is the main reason why I enjoy my work and why I joined the adidas Breaking Barriers Project, which empowers women and girls across Europe and provides the tools to lead change within the sports industry. Knowing more methods to improve gender equity is very useful. Because now I can help and support girls breaking those same barriers.
What did you try to capture with your photos? Was there a wider meaning with the photos? What do these images mean to you as a champion of the adidas Breaking Barriers Project?
I tried to capture the fun of sport. I wanted to show photos of my old teammates to create more awareness that although women’s soccer has come a long way, there are still barriers to break.
At JCF I showed young boys aged 10-14, who played in a soccer tournament (Streetwise Cup) at the Memphis Depay Cruyff Court. I also showed my own team (RVAV Sparta Rotterdam) and some old teammates playing for another club (XerxsesDZB).
Why is football important for your community and country?
Soccer is a simple sport to begin with. You only need some people who are also interested in playing and some space to play on. You meet new people along the way and make friends.
Football is the most popular sport in the Netherlands. Dutch football is well known around the world, especially for our legends like Johan Cruyff.
What are the opportunities for women and girls to play sports in your community and in the Netherlands? What do you want to change?
The opportunities in sports are getting wider for women and girls. More women and girls are playing football and it is still growing. Although it seems to be getting better there are still opportunities to improve. Breaking down misconceptions about gender roles in society can help us overcome the main barrier towards participation of women and girls in football. Alongside these misconceptions, there is also still a lack of facilities, cultural issues, a lack of confidence, and high costs of participation.
What impact has the adidas Breaking Barriers Project had on your journey as a leader and change-maker?
The adidas Breaking Barriers Project has given me more tools to implement in the work I am already doing. I believe that "Together we can make a change". It is important to learn not only from organisations but also from other Champions who are making change in their communities. We might not see this change on a daily basis, but Rome wasn’t built in a day.
What does football mean to you? What ambitions do you have for the future?
Football to me is a release and an outlet to escape from my busy life. I gained some good friends along the way and became aware that I was not the only one who struggled to break these barriers. In the future I hope to continue what I am doing - helping others break barriers and support them in the way they need.
To learn more about the adidas Breaking Barriers Project, visit: https://www.adidas.co.uk/breakingbarriers
