I play like a girl!
The present and future of Catalan women’s sport
An exhibition for the General Directorate of Dissemination and the General Secretariat of Sport and Physical Activity of the Generalitat de Catalunya at the Palau Robert in Barcelona
A podcast for Super3
A book published by Ara Llibres
THE EXHIBITION
Has anyone ever told you that “you play like a girl” or have you ever said it to someone as an insult? In this exhibition you’ll find out that, by playing like a girl, you can become the best in the world, you can win countless medals and, most importantly, have a great time doing what you like most
On the school playground, on the street, in the square, at home, in the field, on the court… you can always play like a girl! Because playing like a girl means being brave like Laia Sanz, decisive like Alexia Putellas or skilful like Aina Florenza.
The figures
How many women play organized sports in Catalonia? What sports do they play? What percentage of female and male managers are choosing to study a Degree in Physical Activity and Sports Sciences?
Through interactive elements, visitors are encouraged to answer these questions. All of this allows us to have an overview of the state of women’s sport in Catalonia in 2023.
The obstacles
It isn’t easy for young girls, teenagers and women who play sports or are involved in any of the professional fields related to sports activities. They have to overcome several barriers which mark the difference between women’s sport and men’s sports:
The insults and stereotypes that female athletes have to endure.
The wage gap compared to males.
Women’s presence in sports institutions and professions.
The impact and coverage of women’s sport in the media.
Testimonies given by female athletes, journalists and other sports professionals make it clear that the road hasn’t been easy and that there’s still much work left to do.
The game
“Play with the best” is a more playful space, where you can playand be the star of the show. Three Catalan sports stars, Laia Palau, Patrícia Ortega and Maica García, encourage us to play sports with them and match their records.
The goal is to have a good time and, at the same time, create role models while also showcasing the successful experience of some of Catalonia’s female athletes.
There’s also a radio booth where they can broadcast what their classmates are doing. There’s a two-fold challenge: do it without sexist language and do it in Catalan!
Our role models
Ideally, one day all the young boys and girls in Catalonia will have a poster of a female athlete in their room, just as they already have posters of male role models.
Posters of Catalonia’s star women’s athletes on the wall, on their computer or tablet screens, wherever… It’s time to highlight our role female models!
We have been, we are and we will be present
Girls, ladies, women! Sport makes us great. Together we have also made Catalan and world sport great. We’ve always been there, we’ve been part of it and we’ve won it all, but we’ve rarely received any recognition. Now that we know that girls like sports, that girls know how to play sports and that playing sport is an enriching experience for girls, we only need one thing: visibility.
We have to be there wherever they talk about sports, because women are athletes, we have been and we will continue to be. Watch us, read about us, listen to us.
We’re playing to ensure equal opportunities in sport. We’re competing to change beliefs and ensure that sport is not about gender.
There’s no shortage of female role models, but there’s a lack of spaces where we can get to know them. How many posters of female athletes do you have in your room? And in your school binder? And on your phone?
TEH PODCAST
Superheroïnes de l’esport (Sports Superheroines) is a podcast featuring a collection of ten stories imagined by ten female sports journalists based on ten stories of female Catalan athletes.
Each journalist has chosen a female Catalan athlete who’s achieved her dreams after fighting hard for them.
The authors base their imaginative exercise on an athlete’s superpower, and they’ve played with the idea of imagining how that power impacted them as children and how it turned them into the successful people they are today.
In a dynamic ten-minute format, children can be inspired by values such as tenacity, discipline and much more.
The authors chose the following athletes:
Alexia Putellas, Aitana Bonmatí, Queralt Castellet, Ona Carbonell, Laia Sanz, Laia Palau, Paula Badosa, Núria Picas, Kaba Gassama and Anni Espar.
The ten authors are women and sports journalists who work in different media:
Laia Bonals, Marta Carreras, Helena Condis, Elena de Diego, Maria Fernández Vidal, Gemma Herrero, Sònia Gelmà, Anaïs Martí, Marta Ramon and Laia Tudel.
The illustrations are by Col·lectiu Rosa Sardina (M. Josep Figueroa Naqui, Lydia Garrido, Alba Ginesta Ferrer, Teresa Guilleumes i Morell, Sonia Estela Guerra, Belén Loza, Esther Osuna, Bea de Rivera Marinel·lo, Cristina Sabaté and Elena Val).
THE BOOK
Ten journalists discuss the best female Catalan athletes of all time. The result is ten children’s stories that promote positive values and encourage both boys and girls to play sports.
A children’s book published by Ara Llibres and illustrated using the manual collage technique with input from numerous voices.
You can also listen to them in podcast format.
