GOALS Honored with Beyond Sport Global Award for Gender Equality to Further Drive Positive Social Change in Armenia
New York, NY, September 13, 2019 – Amid some of the toughest competition and most innovative shortlisters to date, Beyond Sport, the leading pioneer of sport for social change, announced the 2019 Beyond Sport Global Award winners at the SAP Next-Gen Lab at Hudson Yards. Girls of Armenia Leadership Soccer (GOALS) was proud recipient of the Sport for Gender Equality Award.
GOALS was honored for its ability to empower girls through soccer and thus create leaders, build confidence, and create a network of like-minded individuals that will challenge and break down barriers for girls all across Armenia.
“GOALS is grateful to have been chosen for this honor and humbled by all the amazing organizations shortlisted for this award. The Beyond Sport Award for Gender Equality will help GOALS support more girls, train more coaches and educators and play a greater role in the positive changes taking place in Armenia today,“ - said GOALS Board Chair, Andrea Montalbano.
GOALS Armenia encourages communities to transform societal norms into equitable values. Sport enables them to push for discussions around gender equity in marriage, leadership positions, and opportunities in a way that other mechanisms don’t allow through on-field games, soccer matches, and cross-cultural events.
“Sport is a powerful tool for education and empowerment and we are grateful for this recognition. We support every girl who wants to play, and know taking that first step onto a field can also be the first step toward accomplishing their larger dreams” said Montalbano.
The Beyond Sport finalists were chosen from over 300 entries and shortlisted into seven categories and two special awards, celebrating and funding organizations using sport to help make the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals a reality. GOALS Armenia was recognized for their work to support SDG #5, Gender Equality.
“The Beyond Sport Global Awards are a wonderful insight into how sport can dramatically impact communities and individuals in such a positive way,” said Nick Keller, Founder and President, Beyond Sport. “When you step back and recognize that this work is often being done on the fringes of society, our winners, and indeed the entire shortlist, are showing that sport has a significant role to play in solving the world’s greatest challenges.”
ABOUT BEYOND SPORT:
Founded in 2008, Beyond Sport is the leading global force for sustainable social change through sport, instilling insight, energy and impact in communities around the world. Beyond Sport’s global network encompasses 2800 organizations in more than 150 countries using sport as a catalyst for change. The Beyond Sport Global Awards were made possible by our Collective Impact Award Partners The DICK’s Sporting Goods Foundation and the Swedish Postcode Foundation, along with official Supporters Chivas Regal, Comic Relief, Laureus Sport for Good and ESPN, Category Partners WWE, SAP and the Equality League, Business Support Package Partners GivenGain, TrustLaw and Upshot and Official Trophy Supplier, Cristaux.