Countdown towards FIFA Women‘s World Cup France 2019
The 2018 World Cup in Russia is over, but we don’t have to wait four more years for top-tier international football to return. In 2019 the Women’s World Cup will kick off in France. In the meantime, there’s plenty of soccer to fill the thirst in your soul. And I joined as a photographer the Toulouse International Ladies Cup (TILC), when 4 of Europe’s best women’s football teams competed against each other. With this event, the founders – all former football players – want to promote football in the region and sensitize for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France. For the professional footballers, the tournament was a unique opportunity to compete with teams playing on top level. A perfect opportunity to prepare for the season and to present themselves on international soil.
Diversity-Talk: Variety is the spice of life
One of the co-founder of TILC is Tara Mac Mahon, former captain of the Irish National Team and a former player for Toulouse. Responsible for international affairs she aimed to bring together Europe’s best women’s football clubs and provide local and visiting fans with an unforgettable experience.
But she also wanted an intense exchange about progress and challenges in women’s football and organized with her sister Nisa Mac Mahon in collaboration with Shiftbalance the first edition of the TILC TALK. Topic: Gender Equality with 3 unique stories, each one using a different Tactic of change. Lovely Hajra Khan – who I met with Equal Playing Field in Jordan this year – captain of the Pakistani national team plays football to empower women, Aurélie Salvaire founder of Shiftbalance and gender expert uses Talks, Workshops and book Balance the World to shatter stereotypes. And myself, a social photographer who uses the Visual Tactic to raise awareness and showcase how cool women can play football.
THE OBJECTIVES OF TILC-TALK, very easy:
- To make participants aware of the persistent inequalities between the top-level football world of men and women in France and abroad
- To promote football for all, everywhere
- To inspire the youngest to pursue their passion and reach their full potential
- To achieve real equality in sport for future generations
For myself an event of a different kind since I never met professional football players in person. But what I’ve seen that the field of contenders for next year is packed and the 2019 Women’s World Cup will probably be the deepest tournament in women’s soccer history. Some of those qualities we’ve seen at the Ladies Cup.
