Us
Team
For 14 years, La Nuestra Fútbol Feminista has been holding its practice dedicated to playing football in Villa 31, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Having initiated their practice in 2007 upon the demand of the women of the local community, La Nuestra Fútbol Feminista now aims at all women, girls, teenagers and LGBTIQ+ people who would like to become a member.
Our practice
We propose a sports and cultural practice that, with a community and regional grounding, favors the development of single and joint strategies to denaturalize and face the multiple forms of violence that affect us, all from a gender perspective and using community education tools.
Our practice mixes training days with time for group reflection, so it is a place where team members get support, can reflect and express themselves, and it is a safe place where they can build their own language and an identity for football played by women and LGBTIQ+ people.
“The technical team comprises head coaches, coaches, physical education instructors and community educators.”
Fourteen years building autonomy, self-management and feminism.
We ensure the right to play.
“We seek to build our language and an identity for football played by women and LGBTIQ+ people.”
Members
Mónica Santino
She is co-founder of La Nuestra. National Physical Education Teacher and Biological Sciences Teacher (Instituto José Ingenieros, 1987). National Football Head Coach (Argentine Football Coaches Association, 2001); Sports Journalist (DeporTEA, 1995) and feminist activist.
Juliana Román Lozano
She is a Colombian immigrant, feminist activist. Football player since 1993. She played in Sweden, in Colombia – where she was a member of the Bogotá National Team – and in Argentina. She is a documentary filmmaker, a National Football Head Coach and an advanced student of Anthropological Sciences.
María José Figueroa
She is Head Coach of the Junior-Teens Categories (ATFA 2020); student of the bachelor´s degree in Physical Education and Sports at Universidad Nacional de Avellaneda (UNDAV). National Head Coach student at Escuela Nicolás Avellaneda. Feminist activist.
Jimena Alejandra Aon
Holder of a Degree in Community Education (Community College Madres de Plaza de Mayo, 2005) and feminist activist. She is a member of the Community Education Group “Co.Co.In” and a member of Amansalva, a collective and feminist self-defense group.
Enriqueta Tato
National Physical Education Teacher (2012). Sign Language Studies (Villasoles 2013-2015) ASAM (2015-2017). Feminist activist. Football player until 2017, physical trainer and runner.
Belen Bramanti
Holder of a degree in National Physical Education awarded by Instituto Superior de Educación Física N° 2 Federico Dickens in 2018. Football player, masseuse and personal trainer. Member of the coaching team of La Nuestra Fútbol Feminista since 2019. She is in charge of training the junior category.
Anahi Martiarena
Born in Quiaca, Jujuy. She grew up in Villa 31 after she turned one.
She began training with La Nuestra in 2008 at the age of 12. In 2011 she played in the reserve team of Club Atlético River Plate and since 2017 she has played with Club Atlético Excursionistas, where she signed her first contract as a professional player.
Isabel Lugones
Instructor. Lesbian and feminist activist. Football player. Member of La Nuestra Fútbol Feminista coaching team since 2010. She is in charge of training the pre-teens category.
Candela Santise
Football player. Transfeminist activist. Social Work undergraduate. Workshop facilitator and aerial acrobat. She joined the coaching staff of the Youth and Senior categories of La Nuestra in 2022.
Milagros García
Born and raised in Villa 31. Student of the Bachelor’s degree in Physical Activity and Sports at the National University of Avellaneda. Football player and coach of La Nuestra, she joined the coaching staff in 2022. Community sports promoter.
Constanza Rojas
Constanza Rojas (conty) is a former Futsal player for Club Atlético River Plate. She is an ac,tivist and a feminist. She finished high school in the ENS Nº 46. During her journey, she has taken several Recreation courses for children and a technical degree in Football.
Categories
Junior 5-7 years and 8-10 years / Pre-teens 11-14 years / Teens 15-18 years / Senior (19 years old +).
Community
History of Villa 31
It’s the oldest low-income community in the city of Buenos Aires. Located in its neuralgic center, it’s in constant land dispute with the richer sectors of the city.
1932
It was known as “Villa Desocupación”. Those immigrants who worked at the port or were unemployed started to inhabit the first corrugated iron houses in the area. The government also provided housing in empty train coaches. The community changed names several times: Esperanza, Güemes, Comunicaciones, Saldías in the northern part of the neighbourhood.
1950
With the creation of the federation of shanty towns and spontaneous settlements, the community is known for its organization and for becoming the figurehead of the “Movimiento Villero” in the city of Buenos Aires. The communist party and the Peronist resistance that opposed the dictatorship imposed at the time are the most important political symbols of the fight against injustice and vulnerability.
1978
During the World Cup held in our country, the community suffers and resists an eradication attempt, fighting against the bulldozers of Videla’s dictatorship.
1990
During the boom years of neoliberalism, the government tries to eradicate the community again. The community fights back.
2010
The 2010 census shows that the neighborhood is inhabited by 40,000 people, some of which are communities from other Latin American countries. This provides Villa 31 with immense diversity and cultural wealth.
2021
At the moment, the community is under an urbanization process that started in 2009 after the Urbanization of Villa 31 Law was passed in the Legislature. In this process, the lack of basic services, precarious housing and the complete absence of a gender perspective are still recurrent topics.
GOALS
General
To guarantee our own space through sport and culture for women and the LGBTIQ+ people in order to strengthen, foster, improve and expand our practice from a gender perspective and through the tools provided by community education, contributing to the denaturing of gender-based violence and the empowerment of everyone involved.
Specific
To hold football training sessions systematically by establishing our own place, through which we can provide quality training for female players and coaches.
To keep our own group in which we can systematically develop reflection workshops in order to consolidate our identity as a group and promote the discussion of gender-based violence to foster participants’ empowerment.
To foster the need for project referentsby supporting and strengthening the shouldering of responsibilities so that the project can continue, regardless of the participation of the current technical team, putting special emphasis on young leaders.
To keep promoting the sport for women and the LGBTIQ+ people in order to bring it to the fore, considering it as a way of exercising the right to play and leisure.
To articulate with governmental and non-governmental organizationsin order to set guidelines related to the elimination of barriers to exercising the rights of the people involved.
To keep a network of clubs, organizations and people (players and non-players), regardless of whether they are engaged in football or connected to it, in order to establish guidelines on joint work that allows fostering and strengthening our practice and related topics.
Theory production: To develop our own theory and methodology that allow us to think and play football through our own experiences, practices and emerging projects.