Question

playing soccer—or football, as much of the world calls it. However, there were few girls' soccer teams. That's because Brazil had once banned women's soccer. Many other countries had done the same. Brazil's ban was lifted in the 1970s. Yet girls were still largely unwelcome on the pitch. How did the future soccer star cultivate her skills? By kicking wadded grocery bags down the street!

Marta is one of many female players who refused to give up on their soccer dreams. They persisted. And in doing so, they paved the way for future generations of women to have equal opportunity to play. Here are the stories of some of the sport's changemakers.

The Pioneer

Lily Parr grew up in England during World War I. She began working at a factory when she was around 14 years old. The factory had an all-women soccer team. Parr was recruited to play. The factory team competed against other female teams to raise funds for charity.

Women's soccer was very popular in England. But that changed in 1921. Women's soccer was sidelined by England's male soccer association. How so? The group banned women from playing on its fields.

Yet Parr and her teammates refused to hang up their cleats. They played in public fields and parks instead. These women kept soccer alive in England for future generations of female players.

The 99ers

On July 9, 1999, the final match of the FIFA Women's World Cup tournament took place in California. Millions of people watched. The game was tied. Team USA, nicknamed the 99ers, was down to its last kick. As Brandi Chastain sent the ball soaring toward the goal, fans tracked its progress. They erupted into cheers when it hit its mark.

This victory became a pivotal moment in sports history. The match changed the course of women's soccer. "Forever you can point to that and say, 'look what they did,'" 99er Mia Hamm told the Los Angeles Times in 2019. "It represented all the possibilities."

Afterward, the 99ers served as a model for women in sports. They fought for equal pay. Some 99ers also helped to start the first professional women's soccer league in the United States.

"They paved the way," former Team USA player Carli Lloyd told CNN in 2019. "They carved out this path for us and…it's our job to continue to make it better for those that are coming up."

The Superstar

Remember Marta? By age 17, she was making her first FIFA World Cup appearance. The young phenom even scored three goals for Team Brazil! In fact, Marta became the first player (male or female) to score in five back-to-back FIFA World Cup tournaments.

Yet Marta isn't just known for her soccer skills. She also works as a spokesperson for United Nations Women. In 2018, Marta told UN Women that she hopes her story will inspire other women to work towards their goals.

Today, over 16 million women and girls are playing organized soccer. That's thanks, in part, to women who continue to play it forward.

Think about and discuss these questions:
Based on the article, why did women have to fight to play soccer?
What makes someone a game changer? Choose one sentence from the article that you think shows a quality of a game changer.
Question 5


5 / 8

The reader can tell from the article that __________.

people in England were too worried about World War I to enjoy women's soccer
female soccer players receive the same attention and pay as male players
fans missed many great moments in soccer while women were kept off the pitch
audiences were not interested in women's soccer until it could be watched on TV

Answer 1

1) Based on the article, why did women have to fight to play soccer?
- Because official bans and social barriers kept them off proper fields and out of leagues (e.g., Brazil’s ban and England’s 1921 ban by the male soccer association), and they faced unequal treatment and lack of opportunities, so they had to keep pushing to play.

2) What makes someone a game changer?
- A game changer challenges rules and expectations, keeps going despite obstacles, and creates lasting opportunities for others. One sentence from the article that shows this quality is: "They persisted."

Question 5 — The reader can tell from the article that __________.
- fans missed many great moments in soccer while women were kept off the pitch. (Option 3)