Brava Latina athletes like Rebecca Andrade of Brazil and Adriana Ruano of Guatemala have us feeling inspired by their Olympic gold wins in Paris this summer. It also has us thinking about our work with LA County Parks and its campaign to encourage young girls to play sports.  

As reported by the Women’s Sports Foundation, only 31% of young girls ages 6-12 participate in sports compared to 40% of boys in the same age group. Many factors contribute to this gender play gap, including cost. The Women’s Sports Foundation notes that 73% of women leaders surveyed shared that the greatest concern regarding girls’ participation in sports was the ability of their parents to afford participation fees.  

As the first woman to serve as Director of County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation, Norma García-González, addressed the gender play gap head on by offering an accessible fee of $25 for all youth sports and launching the #WhereGirlsPlay initiative spotlighting young girls in Sports.  

In the Spring, LA County parks hosts an annual “Girls Sports Day” offering free sports clinics to hundreds of girls ages 9 and 17 exposing them to sports like Basketball, Soccer, Softball, Volleyball, and more.   

Additionally, LA County Parks partnered with ELLA Sports Foundation, an organization that seeks to develop strong Latina leaders through access to sports, to specifically outreach to young Latinas about the opportunity to enroll in a sports program offered by LA County Parks.  Division 1 Softball athlete Lilly Travieso founded ELLA, which stands for “Empowering Leadership in Latina Athletes,” to level the playing field for young Latina athletes and young women of color by donating sports equipment, offering scholarships, leading sports camps and showcases, and other services.  

VPE worked with LA County Parks leading media relations for the initiative and developing a social media campaign showcasing women athletes who got their start by playing sports at County parks or who credit early access to sports for their athletic success. 

We are inspired by Travieso’s story and her dedication to eliminating the barriers that Latinas face when it comes to playing sports.  We are also motivated by Garcia-Gonzalez’s vision and leadership in closing the gender gap in sports.  Efforts to increase opportunities for girls to play could be cultivating the next generation of Latina Olympic athletes. 

 To learn more about LA County Park’s sports programs, please visit: www.parks.lacounty.gov/sports/.