People of the Union puts the spotlight on individuals across FIFPRO’s member associations who are dedicated to improving the wellbeing of professional footballers in their country.
Vanessa Ovando, who leads women's football development at Guatemalan player union Sifupgua, talks about her work, her motivations, and the road ahead to continue improving the lives of footballers in her country.
What is your current position and background?
I oversee the development of the union’s social projects and the development of women's football. I have a degree in business administration and I am currently studying for a degree in sports marketing. Since I was a little girl I played football here in Guatemala, first on recreational pitches where I was the only girl, then in 11-a-side football and then I moved on to futsal for a while, where I was also on the Guatemalan national team; I was on the national team in both futsal and 11-a-side.
We have a lot of communication with the players in Guatemala. In the country, there really hadn't been much work done in the past in terms of women's football and, in the two years I've been here, we’ve been starting from the grassroots to make the players understand their rights, their obligations. I think it has been nice to see the players very willing to listen and learn. The fact that they call you for advice is also very satisfying.
It's been a work in progress...
Yes, it has been a lot of work. Most of the players didn't even know what they were signing in a sports contract. We have to teach them now what they really have to sign and what they have to take into account. They have to have the character to say yes or no to clubs depending on what they offer them. Now they have this training with which they can set limits to improve the development of women's football in Guatemala. There is also this fear that the teams have threatened them for turning to the union. At the end of the day, it is not in teams' interest for them to know their rights and obligations. But little by little, the players have been very receptive to the information. It has been very important and very satisfying.
What do you like most about your work in the union?
Sorting medical issues. In Guatemala it is very complicated, both for men and women. There are many clubs that don't have the economic capacity. For example, when a player has a severe injury, such as a meniscus or cruciate ligament operation, the economic capacity does not exist; in the men's first division there is, but in the women's and other categories they don't have this support.
I have a good friend, who has an important position as a traumatologist in one of the government hospitals. And I told her that one of our biggest shortcomings was that a lot of players were practically left out with injuries. We sat down and saw how she could help us. We managed to get the players operated on completely free of charge in a government hospital. And to hear the thanks from the players on that issue is very satisfying, because it's for them. It's practically saving their career. It's an issue that motivates us a lot.
What issue affecting the welfare of footballers are you most passionate about?
Apart from the medical issue, I think a very important one in Guatemala has been the lack of football education. It has been a complicated issue with the players, even with the federation. It's also partly our fault as players for not educating ourselves, but there hasn't been any association to educate us either. So, this year we are going to start workshops to educate the players about mental health, nutrition, about how important it is to have an education. The motivation is to start little by little. What we want is for brands or educational centres to join in, seeing our work and thus achieving some scholarships. That would be our dream.
What is your proudest moment as a union representative?
Last year we started to work more closely with the women's national team. The players were encouraged to have character and go to the federation to ask for at least basic things for the national team. The fact that they have already taken this initiative, backed by us, was a source of satisfaction. Something that had never happened in Guatemala's history was to fight for international friendlies on FIFA dates. And thanks to their struggle, they have played against Colombia and Chile on the last three FIFA dates. And they started to receive a minimum payment. That's already a small step. It was our greatest happiness last year in terms of women's football.
We have a lot of work to do in Central America in general because sadly our society is still very macho. And we still have a long way to go. I know that the whole issue of the union is still something new at the Central American level. If in the near future the doors open for me to be able to help these countries, it would be great because we are going against the current. It's hard to fight against this but it's our hope.
Is there anyone in the union world or in sport in general who particularly inspires you?
I will mention three people: Billie Jean King (American former tennis player and activist), who fought hard for equality at the end of her career. She wasn't afraid to speak out and talk about her experiences and how difficult it was, but in the end she tells what she achieved by fighting. Serena Williams is another one I admire a lot. One of the best tennis players but what I loved was that she opened a foundation where she supports the education and empowerment of young women and girls.
And another person I really like is Marion Reimers, a sports journalist. I love her very much, how she was able to pave the way in a career that has been practically led by men. And now she is one of the leaders in her profession and also an activist for equality in women's football. People like that motivate me because even though you know it can be a difficult job, there is always a light at the end of the road.
What is your best football memory?
I was about 18 years old, it was a game where it was already a championship decider here in the national league. And in the last 10 minutes, from a cross, I was able to score a volley. But that wasn't all. What I really liked about that game was that I had one of my friends, who was more senior and had taught me a lot, who I tied for the top goal scorer in that tournament with that goal. It was more or less a shared prize. And the other one is futsal. Now the tournament is going to be official but it used to be called the World Futsal Tournament. It was here in Guatemala and we played against Russia. The dome (stadium), which has a capacity of 11,000 people, was completely full. Seeing it for me was a satisfaction that made me say, ‘wow, us women really do attract people to watch’.
If you could change anything in football, what would it be?
That more support could be given, both financially and for the development of our national league. To have a good national team we need a base and our league is not really professional; we need to have more development both financially and in terms of growth for the coaches, for the players. It's incredible to think that 13 years ago I started in a league and things haven't changed much. There are a lot of players who have a lot of ability, but they don't dedicate themselves to this. They have to go to training after they've gone to work or study and that's the activity they have left at the end of the day. And despite that we've had a lot of players who are already playing abroad. We have talent but we need to be given more tools to be able to develop in a better way in our sport. We are fighting to achieve this.
