GirlsPlayGlobal: A UNC Student’s Initiative to Empower Women Through Soccer

By Olly Banarjee

What is the drive for creation? Making something that results in change or positivity? What pushes an individual to fight for the good of others? On a sunny Chapel Hill afternoon, I had the opportunity to interview UNC junior, Janani Shivakumar, and learned how much good can be born out of a single decision. 

For Janani, this decision was to join an all-boys soccer team. When Janani moved to India with her family, she was surprised at the lack of women’s sports teams. She wanted to continue playing soccer like she had in the United States but found no avenue for her to pursue this passion. 

“I was the only girl in the club with 300 boys,” Janani told me, expressing how shocking the experience of playing soccer in India had been. For three years, she played on that team, kept up with the boys, and honed her soccer skills until she moved back to the States. Her American high school had it all–a well-funded girls’ team and a program that allocated its resources equally to both teams. 

Halfway across the world, Janani still thought about the girls in India who didn’t have those resources. The girls who had to sit back and watch the boys have all the fun. This was Janani’s drive. Her motivation. The catalyst for some greatness. 

As a high school freshman, Janani came up with the idea for GirlsPlayGlobal, a non-profit based in Coimbatore, her parents’ hometown in India. The organization started small and simple. Janani approached a low-income government school in India and offered to fund a girl’s soccer team so they too would have the opportunity to play. 

Much to Janani’s surprise, the hardest obstacle was encouraging girls to jump at the chance to play on a soccer team. The team was free for the girls to join and the equipment was also provided for them–so what was holding the girls back?

“It’s crazy to think about, but playing soccer was considered taboo for girls in 2019” Janani shared. Many of the girls’ families were uncomfortable with the idea of their daughters and sisters running around and competing in a sport. This realization helped Janani morph GirlsPlayGlobal into the truly unique effort that it is today. From that day forward, Janani implemented an education structure in her nonprofit–that along with being coached in soccer, the girls would learn more about gender equality and empowerment

During our conversation, Janani stressed how important she felt it was to encourage these girls to want more for themselves. Whether this was equality on the soccer field, among their families, or beyond. So in 2019, GirlsPlayGlobal had its very first tournament and educational presentation. Janani talked about strengthening her Tamil to speak to these girls, encourage them to play soccer, and break down societal norms. 

When asked what she was proudest about her non-profit, Janani easily answered: its growth. What started at a single school with ten brave girls resulted in hundreds of girls entering the program every year. Now, GirlsPlayGlobal caps the annual tournament at 120 girls. Over the years, over 500 girls have been a part of the program. Over 10,000 have been exposed to Janani’s presentations and speeches about female empowerment. 

When she started this project, Janani said her goal was straightforward–to bring girls in her hometown access to soccer. Now, her goal has become much more. Janani hopes to expand the program to more states in India and let girls know that they have the choice to do more than they think. Whether it’s playing a team sport or applying to higher education–GirlsPlayGlobal wants to girls to want more. 

In 2023, GirlsPlayGlobalcaught the eye of the United Nations. Now, Janani and GirlsPlayGlobal focus their empowerment initiatives on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Last September, Janani was invited to speak at the UN’s International Peace Day to discuss her recent GirlsPlayGlobal project, Match for Millets, which included presentations about the importance of nourishment and reintroduced healthy grains to the tournament attendees. 

At its surface, GirlsPlayGlobal is a nonprofit that provides free soccer training and equipment to girls in rural India. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Janani’s organization not only improves physical health but empowers young girls in India to strive for their goals. 

“We don’t take money,” she told me, to my surprise. The organization has sponsored and uses local efforts in Coimbatore to run its programs–another way of involving rural communities. However, they do accept donations of soccer gear, new or used. “Spreading the word is also greatly appreciated,” Janani says. Following the GirlsPlayGobal Instagram account (@GirlsPlayGlobal). The more people who know about GirlsPlayGlobal, the more support we can gain for our girls’ team to play in the UN Global Girls World Cup.

GirlsPlayGlobal’s main goal is to send an under-20 team to an international tournament this year. Five years ago, this would have seemed like an unlikely feat. But thanks to Janani’s decision to chase her dreams and play soccer, a community of women in India gets to reach for the stars.