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As part of Visa’s long history of investing in and supporting the growth of the women’s game, Visa is excited to introduce the Visa Play and Stay program. The objective of the program is to encourage girls aged 11-16 to stay involved and engaged in the sport of soccer.
Despite the positive progress that has been made to level the playing field, gender disparity in sports persists. Girls aged 11-16 are two times more likely to drop out of sports than boys at this age and even though girls report significant mental and physical benefits from sport participation, only half of teenage girls are active in sport.
Visa Play and Stay is being developed in collaboration with Canada Soccer and will include creating opportunities for young girls to connect with current and former National Team players, showcasing the various pathways that exist in the sport of soccer, both on and off the pitch, and providing dedicated resources to support the development of interventions and solutions to ensure more girls Play and Stay in soccer.
On 26 September 2023, as Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team took on Jamaica to clinch their spot in the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games, 200 young soccer players attended an exclusive pre-match experience where they took part in a panel with CANWNT legends Carmelina Moscato and Rhian Wilkinson. Participants were given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity when they were taken into the players entrance tunnel where they welcomed the team to the stadium, before taking their seats at field level in a section reserved exclusively for them. This is one of many events to come as part of the Visa Play and Stay program.
Through the Visa Play and Stay Program, Visa and Canada Soccer hosted 60 young athletes from Burnaby, British Columbia for a unique experience with Christine Sinclair and Ashley Lawrence. The girls had an opportunity to showcase their skills in an on-field session, then heard from both athletes as they participated in a fireside chat moderated by Canadian National Women’s Team legend Karina LeBlanc.
In 2024 Canadians can look forward to Visa Play and Stay coming to life through memorable events, engaging content, and other initiatives all connected to the program’s objective of encouraging girls aged 11-16 to stay involved and engaged in the sport of soccer.
