The men think women athletes lack toughness. So, we showed them just how strong a woman’s fighting spirit is.

We did this by writing four powerful statements: GRIT IS GORGEOUS, FEMININE NOT FRAIL, BRUISED NOT BROKEN, and BEAUTY IN BEAST MODE.

Using MIZUNO shoelaces, these statements were then woven onto the one place no one could ignore: the actual goals. We called it “Goals for Girls”. Every encounter with these goals became a moment where we could change perception and point to how talented women footballers are.

To successfully turn the nets into canvases, we teamed up with local designers. Using rolls and rolls of MIZUNO shoelaces, we devised a cross-lace technique to translate original artwork into a pattern that could be recreated on a goal.

We then partnered with the Ateneo Football League, a tournament that’s now on its 7th year and has become a premier mixed tournament in the country. On April 30, 2017, before the tournament started, we finished hijacking four goals that would be used during matches. For a month, the fourteen teams participating in the league would play while seeing these powerful messages of empowerment.

But we didn’t stop there. We encouraged people to go to a special website where they could join an online petition to bring women’s football to more schools in the country.

The goals were a huge hit during the matches. Every woman could relate to the statements written on them. The campaign even triggered some of the men to give positive reactions about the way the girls played.

Together with shares and over 500 signatures, MIZUNO “Goals for Girls” is estimated to have gained 60,000 impressions and almost $6,000 in earned media value. Each signature also helped our petition to strengthen the national program that scouts for and trains local female talent in football. Best of all, we helped change people’s perception about women who play in football so their talents would never have to be ignored again.