Girl Power Newsletter May 2026


We are excited to share our newsletter, bringing you stories, updates, and insights on what’s happening at Girl Power globally!

A decade of defying the odds

Ten years ago today, on May 25th, we became official. On World Football Day, we're not just celebrating an anniversary. We're celebrating every girl who refused to stay on the sidelines.

From local pitch to global movement

2014-2016: What started as a women-led rebellion in Denmark became something bigger than we ever imagined.

2017-2019: We broke borders. Denmark. Germany. Greece. Pakistan. Afghanistan. Turkey. Jordan. Each new country wasn't just a pin on a map, it was hundreds of girls finding their voice through sport.

2021: When Afghanistan fell, we didn't just watch. While the world debated, we acted. More than 600 women and girls evacuated to safety. Football jerseys became lifelines.

2022-2025: We went from response to revolution by partnering with UNHCR, UNGEI, the Malala Foundation, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch. We launched in Mexico City and Nigeria. We hosted our first Coaching Summit. We built a network that can't be silenced.

2026: The Afghan women's football team plays again. Officially. Internationally. This is what winning looks like.

Our mission isn't polite, it's powerful

Using sport and transformative education, we champion the empowerment of women and girls from ALL cultures and backgrounds. How we make it happen:

⚽ FOOTBALL FOR DEVELOPMENT
We don't just give girls a ball. We give them a safe space where they belong, where they're seen, where they matter.

📣 COMMUNITY ACTION
Equality doesn't ask nicely. We advocate fiercely for social justice, partnering with grassroots warriors and global organizations to amplify voices that have been ignored for too long.

👑 LEADERSHIP
We identify the fire in our participants and fan it into a blaze. Six-month intensive programs turn players into leaders who return to their communities as changemakers.

The numbers that matter

  • 16 countries where girls are rewriting their futures
  • 300+ girls certified through our Leadership Academies since 2023
  • 62 talks that challenged the status quo
  • 100+ leadership workshops
  • 124 school programs
  • 50+ coaches trained to train the next generation
  • 50+ sport festivals at asylum centers. Because everyone deserves to play

But here's the real number: ZERO. That's how many girls should be left behind.

Listen to our leaders

These aren't just quotes. These are declarations of independence.

What is next isn't just big. It's unstoppable

  • Our second Coaching Summit
  • The inaugural Girl Power Diversity World Cup
  • Expansion to Brazil, Ghana, India, and Nepal
  • A Girl Power football club and academy with shared ownership—where sport meets advocacy meets education meets revolution

May 26: World Football Giving Day

26 May will mark World Football Giving Day, a new annual moment built around one simple idea: football shows its heart.

Will you show yours?

Our Goal: €10,000 by end of 2026
Your Part: Just €10
Our Dream: 1,000 donations = 1,000 believers

What your €10 does: Funds a girl's spot in our Leadership Academy. Travel. Accommodation. Course costs. A career pathway. A completely different future. One donation. Ten euros. Infinite impact.

👉 DONATE NOW

TO EVERYONE WHO'S BEEN IN THE FIGHT WITH US: Thank you for believing that a girl with a football can change the world. Because she can. And she is.

Follow the movement on Instagram and Linkedin.

Girl Power

Using sport and transformative education, Girl Power champions the empowerment of women and girls from all cultures and backgrounds.

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