Skip to main content Skip to search Skip to search

Young Adult Nonfiction Soccer

Kicking It Forward

by (author) Sara Gama

illustrated by Simone Cortesi

translated by Sándor Anthony Vezér

general editor Marcel Chiera

Publisher
Giovan8
Initial publish date
Dec 2022
Category
Soccer, Social Activists, Sports & Recreation, Women
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781777599935
    Publish Date
    Dec 2022
    List Price
    $32.95
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781777599942
    Publish Date
    Dec 2022
    List Price
    $32.95

Add it to your shelf

Where to buy it

Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels

  • Age: 12 to 14
  • Grade: 7 to 9

Description

The highly inspirational autobiography of Sara Gama, captain of the Italian and Juventus women’s teams, who endeavours to create a new path particularly for the girls who, like her, love to play the game but haven’t been able to do so without facing prejudices and difficulties. To mark International Women’s day in 2018, Mattel included her as the only Italian in a group of 17 international females who have been able to become a source of inspiration for girls of the future, and honoured her with a Barbie doll depicting her features. In 2019, Forbes included her in a list composed of the 100 most influential Italian women.

About the authors

Contributor Notes

Sara Gama was born in Trieste in 1989. A defender by trade, she’s the captain of the Italian and Juventus women’s teams. A worldwide Italian football ambassador, before donning the bianconera jersey, she played on various Serie A teams, and even in France for Paris Saint-Germain and in the USA for Pali Blues. Her trophy cabinet boasts an U-19 European Cup, six Scudetti, three Coppa Italias and five Italian Super Cups.

As her career progressed, so did her dream. Having played an instrumental role in bringing women’s football in Italy from the amateur to the professional level, she now endeavours to create a new path particularly for the girls who, like her, love to play the game but haven’t been able to do so without facing prejudices and difficulties.

To mark International Women’s day in 2018, Mattel included her as the only Italian in a group of 17 international females who have been able to become a source of inspiration for girls of the future, and honoured her with a Barbie doll depicting her features. In 2019, Forbes included her in a list composed of the 100 most influential Italian women.

Excerpt: Kicking It Forward (by (author) Sara Gama; illustrated by Simone Cortesi; translated by Sándor Anthony Vezér; general editor Marcel Chiera)

The 2019 World Cup shouldn’t be a happily-ever-after moment, but a starting point.

I believe that women’s calcio in Italy is still in its beginning stages and that our actions were only the first steps in a long and difficult journey that’s full of potential. We have no intention of comparing ourselves with the world of men’s calcio. Today, maybe we’re where they were many, many years ago. What we do want, though, is to have the same protection and the same rights as athletes. We want to feel respected and treated as what we are—professionals of the sport.

As young girls, my teammates and I had one great passion: playing calcio. For many of us it wasn’t easy carrying it forward. There were disappointments, sacrifices and lots of difficulties. If we were able to reach these heights, it was because we had courage and tenacity, and because we were convinced that meritocracy was an ideal to pursue and uphold. Our dream was to change the face of calcio in Italy. We wanted to pave the way and provide positive role models specifically to the little girls who, like us, love playing the game.

When I was a little girl, I didn’t even know that professional female players existed, and so playing with boys felt like the most natural thing in the world. But the girls of today can see us. They know we’re there and so, they too can dream of becoming like us in the future. There’s even a doll that looks like me—who would’ve guessed? I certainly wouldn’t have, especially since I never played with them growing up!

That’s an important sign for everyone involved, though. It means that the stereotypes of days gone by are coming apart at the seams and that the world is ready to welcome new models of femininity, which include endless representations of what being a woman can mean.

Playing football may not come naturally for young girls. Unfortunately, certain stereotypes aren’t easily overcome. But today, there are many opportunities that didn’t exist when I was young, opportunities that we had to create on our own two feet, while we figured out how to carry on as best we could.

Our world is a welcoming place. There are almost never any violent or racist episodes in women’s football—unlike those all too common events in the more famous football. And that’s because we brought our values forward, taught each other and bettered ourselves from the very beginning.

Unfortunately, women’s calcio isn’t very prominent in our society. If our movement continues to grow, as I hope it does, it’s hard to predict how it will change. But I think that our time in the trenches has provided us with an immunity to the most harmful attitudes and behaviours. Those who follow us aren’t just doing so for the game, but also because we’re able to bring about a concrete alternative to the way sport is lived. The tifosi want good and healthy things, which we’ve been able to provide them, and we must continue doing so.

Many issues still needed to be resolved when I was writing this book. Luckily things have changed since then and more investment has been made in women’s calcio. When professional women’s football became a reality in Italy on July 1, 2022, we were finally given the economic guarantees and benefits (insurance, pension, maternity leave) that we had wanted. Now we are able to concentrate solely on the game, without having to continuously worry about everything else. This new law didn’t just benefit us: today young girls have a platform to follow our path, as well as our values. We have to continue teaching them—young girls who are lucky to live in a very different world than the one we grew up in—about the importance of effort, hard work and respect for the rules. That’s the only way that their dreams, like ours, will come true.

Other titles by