Pauline is only 26 years old, but already lives at a mile an hour. Passionate about football, two years ago she created Graines de Footballeuses, an association that aims to break down barriers in women’s football to make it accessible to all little girls. But more than a simple association, the organization has become for Pauline the commitment of her life.
As soon as Pauline crosses the threshold of the door of the bar, she is already radiating joie de vivre. Her golden curls cut short on her scalp are neatly styled. The young woman is all smiles, but she does not have much time, she who, at 26, juggles between her work in communication, her weekly football training, and above all, her responsibilities as president of her association, Graines of footballers. ” I act. As soon as I have an idea in my head, I absolutely have to do it. “, supports the footballer.
And ideas, she has them. By founding Graines de Footballeuses in November 2020, Pauline gave birth to an ambitious project: that of working to make amateur women’s football visible, and give confidence to girls who wish to try the sport. ” I said to myself that something had to be done to allow any young footballer to feel supported in her practice. And I thought “what would I have liked to have had at their age” ? This is where the project was born. A human project, based on four values: benevolence, respect, work and sharing. And in the long term, Pauline hopes: an initiative to build, thanks to football, the society of tomorrow.
A girl in a boy’s world
Despite her busy schedule, Pauline is bubbling with energy. It must be said that this communication consultant draws a large part of her stamina from football. And this love of sport, the young woman maintains it very early. Originally from Darnétal, in the suburbs of Rouen, she spends every recess during her primary school with the other little boys. ” I was very tomboyish. One day my friends said to me: “You have to play football! Come see us at a tournament”. I went there, I watched them, and I knew I wanted to do this. Pauline then joined the team when she was seven years old, supported by her parents.
She goes through training and matches, sometimes against schoolchildren much older than her, and each time she is the only girl on the field. ” I did not suffer from rejection in my team, I rather suffered from the gaze of others and their remarks “, she says. But the Rouennaise does not let herself be walked on and develops a form of combativeness. ” I have an aggressive game, I play defensive midfielder. This job suits me very well because in the field, I don’t hesitate to get into it, I’m a bulldozer! she jokes.
Over the years, Pauline hardens, and this strong character, it is largely to football that she owes it. ” As soon as we met other teams, they pointed the finger at me and sent me back to my status as a girl. I was told: “What are you doing here ? You have no place with the guys”. He is also thrown much worse thoughts, about his sexual orientation. ” At 12, you don’t need us to choose for you who you’re going to become, and it was still violent to model all these stereotypes on me “, assures the young woman.
For lack of a model, Pauline ended up hanging up her crampons at 13 years old. ” At that age, I had to either quit football or go to the women’s team. Except I had no idea what it was like to be a woman and play football. And I was afraid of the unknown. The footballer therefore left this sport, and took a 180 degree turn: she started riding a pony. ” I think I’ve internalized the prejudices that have been thrown at me so much that I’ve preferred to turn to a sport practiced in the majority by women. But despite everything, she never stays far from the field.
The discovery of football between women
After arriving in Paris at the age of 20, the young woman resumed football informally with her colleagues. ” They gave me my seat. Although again, as a woman, you always need to prove that you are legitimate to be here, much more than a guy. We only give you credit when you show that you know how to play. Me I’m a moth, I don’t take tweezers, that’s how I earn their respect “, she says.
Except that one day, she sees girls exchanging passes on the field next door. After some research on Facebook to find them, Pauline discovers a world that was still unknown to her, that of exclusively female football. And this time, Pauline doesn’t have to justify either her personality or her reasons for wanting to play.
A year later, the young footballer decided to join a competing club, ES 16 (16th arrondissement Sports School). ” I met my best friends there, who I now consider my familyshe says. That’s also the magic of football: bringing together totally different people and enabling them to form unbreakable bonds. »
Show young girls they are not alone
With sparkling eyes, Pauline recounts the genesis of Graines de Footballeuses. The click is when she starts coaching a team of eleven-year-old girls.“ I realized that they were facing the same problems as me, smaller, while we were happy that the number of women made redundant had increased “, she explains.
From this observation, the association is born little by little. Pauline creates an Instagram account during confinement which lists testimonials from players and shares photos of women’s clubs from all over France. ” I wanted to inspire young girls by showing them that we are many, that they are not alone. “Seeing that the number of subscribers is growing visibly, the Norman wants to go even further. ” There’s something in me that makes me want to help peopleshe says. And if you want to help others, there’s no secret: you have to see them. You have to know them, you have to talk to them, you have to take the time. »
In September 2020, Pauline organized a one-off match bringing together young girls from different clubs, and the success was immediate. From there, everything speeds up. The young woman surrounds herself with her football friends, who become volunteers, and Graines de Footballeuses obtains its official association status in November.
More than a football association, a project to support girls
Since then, Graines de Footballeuses has only grown, as the dreams and ambitions of its president are vast. Today, the team of fifteen volunteers offers free classes for little girls aged three to six once a week. ” Putting a ball in their feet at that age helps to precede the internalization of prejudices. They are not yet in the playground that you already show them that they have their place on a field “Defends Pauline.
In addition, the association has set up a program to introduce teenage girls to careers in sport. ” Graines de Footballeuses is football, but it’s not just that. We make it a point of honor to accompany young girls in their life as women, to show them that they are capable of doing everything and that they have their place in all areas. The volunteers also organize sports courses during which the young girls can practice, but at the end of the sessions they must also practice speaking and must each develop a training from A to Z, to empower themselves and empower.
Pauline deeply believes in the impact that these actions can have. She sees it every day, in the bonds that are created with the little girls. And even at her young age, the twenty-something remains dedicated body and soul to her fight. ” How do I stay motivated to do all of this? Because these girls we train are my little sisters. If we help a person, it’s already won. And seeing the teenage girls we’ve been following for two years transforming, gaining confidence, asserting themselves, that’s what keeps me going “, she underlines with simplicity. Full of optimism for the future, the young woman is constantly thinking about extending the organization’s activity outside of Paris, making herself more heard by the public authorities, obtaining more resources from partners, and above all , to change mentalities.
This association is for her her greatest accomplishment, her greatest pride. And despite the fatigue, the emotional charge, the sacrifices in her private life, the full-time investment for young girls, Pauline assures her: she wouldn’t change her life for anything in the world.