A Visit with the U-20 Nicaraguan Women's National Team

With the Easter week upon us we took the opportunity to travel to Managua to watch the U-20 national team practce. We were able to catch up with both players and coaches after the practice and are heading back to Managua on Monday to participate in one of thier practices! Posted below are interviews with the Coach of the u-20 team Edward Urroz, the Director of Women's Soccer in Nicaragua Dalila López as well as several of the players.


Interview with Coach Edward Urroz:

What opportunities are there for girls to play soccer in Nicaragua?

There are really few options for organized playing for younger girls. We just don’t have the resources to hire coaches, buy uniforms and cleats, and hire refs.

How did the U-20 Nicaraguan national team get started?

Our team played in a tournament last May and qualified for the qualifying round of the World Cup which is going to be in the United States. I am not exactly sure when or where. Sometime this fall.

How did you choose the girls?

Most of the girls on our team were chosen off of their neighborhood and high school teams. High schools begin offering soccer to girls through their physical education curriculum. Again, the quality of coaching and the time that girls spend training is very limited. Few high school PE coaches are actually trained as soccer coaches. They simply tell the girls to go out and run around with the ball.

How is the U-20 national team funded?

FIFA sent a donation to Nicaragua specifically for the development of women’s soccer. There is a set amount of money that we are allotted to help promote girls soccer. Our team is financed through that fund. But, as you can see, it is not enough. Some of our girls are running around without cleats because they have grown out of them or they have ripped and we have not been able to buy more.

What do you see as being the biggest problem that women’s soccer faces in Nicaragua?

We do not have enough resources to be able to organize successful opportunities for girls to play. Most of the girls have learned soccer playing pick up games in the street with the boys. Few of our players have had much opportunity to play in a serious and formal setting. The one person who has done the most for promoting girls soccer in Nicaragua is Dalila. I will introduce you to her…


Interview with Dalila López, the founder of the division of female soccer within the Nicaraguan Soccer Federation:

Tell me about some of the problems facing Women’s Soccer in Nicaragua.

Women’s soccer in Nicaragua has a lot of hurdles to jump through because it has never been something promoted within the country. We are starting from scratch. There is no infrastructure set up for girls to begin playing at an early age. We are currently working to try to organize a project like this in Managua. We are in the planning stages of it right now. We also have a huge lack of coaching options for girls. Since the Women’s league is not as well funded as the Men’s league, it is hard to pay our coaches. Also, we hardly have any female coaches. In the Nicaraguan Premier Division, which is made up of about 15 teams, only one of those teams is coached by a female coach. There are very few role models for young girls. The first coaching experience for most of these girls was through their high school PE classes. Most of these classes are not highly organized, and the girls do not learn a sense of dedication and commitment to the sport.

Are most of the Premier Division female teams from Managua?

They are from all over, Managua, Rivas, and Leon are the three biggest.

How does the Premier Division work?

This is the first year that the Women’s Premier Division is a recognized league. In fact, April the 20th we are having a tournament here in the Kranshaw stadium that will be an inauguration of the league.

How about the girls on the national team? Are the majority of the girls from the capital?

About half and half. We have practice three times a week. Some of the girls come from over 6 hours away. Right now we are training for the qualifying tournament for the World Cup. It would be impossible for the girls to make this kind of commute three times a week, so I have found them schools to attend here in Managua. Two of the girls are living with me so that they can go to school and also train with the national team. I have really tried to promote the importance of school for these girls. Soccer is a life experience. It is important that they play and also that they study. Female soccer players do not get paid in Nicaragua. It is not like the Men’s team who can live off of soccer alone, so it is important that the girls continue to pursue their studies.

Have you ever had a player leave Nicaragua to attend school and play abroad?

Nicaragua has never sent a soccer player to play abroad. We once had a player receive an invitation to play in Panama, but the paper work did not go through and the girl never went.

Do you think that you would have girls that would be interested to think about the possibility of studying and playing abroad?

Oh yes, this would be a dream of many of the players.

In your opinion, how could an organization like Soccer Without Borders be helpful in promoting women’s soccer in Nicaragua?

Well, of course we are lacking in funding, but I don’t think that giving money is necessarily the best way to help promote soccer. What we really need are sustainable programs to help kids develop. It’s also important to figure out ways to help sustain the project once you all are not here. It does no good if money is given and then there is no organization set up to run a program. When this happens, the money really never reaches the players.

How can we best reach the players then?

Coaching clinics are really important. We need to have programs to help coaches be able to coach these girls. Also, I would really like to have an ongoing dialogue with you guys. The contacts are much more important than the money. For example, if we are having problems getting funding from the Federation or if people in Nicaragua say that female soccer is not important, it is helpful to have contacts abroad. That way we can say, “Look, these foreigners are investing and paying attention to these girls teams. We need to keep this going.” We also have a lack of sponsorship for teams. Teams often are not able to form because they can’t buy the necessary uniforms or pay the fees to become part of the league, much less pay a coach or a ref. It would be great to be able to get sponsorship from people in the United States to help buy uniforms and cleats.

How much is the entrance fee to become a team in the Premier league?

This is the first year that we are asking teams to pay to be part of the Premier league. Some teams can’t pay, but we don’t kick them out. Everyone has to do some sort of service for the female soccer community, so if you can’t pay with money, you pay in some other way.


Interview with the players:

Do you think there are a lot of opportunities for girls to play soccer in Nicaragua?

Nicaraguan girl’s soccer is growing. Our team is getting a lot of press. We are doing better than the boy’s team internationally, and I think people are starting to notice. It especially helps when people like you come down from the United States. People say, “Hey, the Americans are coming down to watch the team play. They must be good.”

Do you think you are respected as soccer players by the men’s teams?

Sometimes it is hard. They don’t want to accept that there are girls playing soccer. But, we are doing better than them right now, so I think they leave us alone because of this.

How long have you been playing soccer?

Forever, as long as I can remember. I played on the street in my neighborhood as I was growing up.

Who is the youngest player on the team?

She is . She is 13.

Who is the oldest?

She is . She is 20.