The adidas Breaking Barriers Project kicked off in 2020.

The Project is a multi-year commitment by adidas to breaking down barriers for girls and women across Europe by working directly with nonprofit sports organizations, empowering local leaders and coaches, and providing the sports industry with the necessary tools to lead change.

The adidas Breaking Barriers Project aims to:

• Lead the industry in driving systemic change around access to sports for women and girls.
• Support and build the capacity of 15 sports for good organizations to drive systemic change around gender equity and inclusion, and deliver safer and more inclusive programs.
• Empower 100 women Champions between ages 18 and 30 to go through capacity and leadership training to become role models to 50,000+ girls.

Partners

The Project is led by adidas and developed in collaboration with Common Goal, Women Win, and Soccer Without Borders. 

The Implementing Partners are nonprofit sports organizations that carry out the Project at a local level. They undertake capacity building, training, and mentoring exercises to improve inclusivity and become leaders within the sports community for gender equity. The goal is for these changes to lead to more balanced gender representation across all levels of the organization.

Since its launch, the adidas Breaking Barriers Project has engaged with 15 sports for good organizations across Europe.

Champions 

The adidas Breaking Barriers Champions are local ambassadors of the Project selected to lead gender equity development within their organization and their communities.

The Champions are recruited via their host organization. They demonstrate a commitment to the main goals of the Project and are women or non-binary young leaders who aspire to create change. These Champions also: 

• Have experience in sports as a player, coach, or official.
• Serve as a leader within their community.
• Are willing to develop new inclusive coaching skills and approaches to support girls on and off the pitch.