The Unseen Players: Tackling Worldviews on Women's Football

To remind everyone of Women’s Day, MullenLowe Delta and its client Banco Pichincha, the main sponsor of Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito, held a special soccer match at the team’s stadium – Rodrigo Paz Delgado- remembering the importance of sports equality through hosting an invisible soccer match.

It was a game without any soccer players on the field, only the three referees and a ball operated by radio control. For several minutes, this action caught the attention of the fans, who could see the ball rolling throughout the field completely by itself, without any players or anyone around it. This event finished with a message to the fans from the captain of LDU women’s team, Belén Aragón: “Like this game, there are 234 games that very few people come to watch. It is very important for all of us to promote inclusion and gender equality.” After her speech, the men’s team welcomed the “guerreras albas / white warriors” by forming a guard of honor on the field, which was applauded by all the attendees.

Banco Pichincha’s commitment to promoting the development of women is expressed in different ways. It was the first company in Ecuador to become a signatory for the ‘Principles of Empowerment of Women’ of the United Nations. It also pioneered when it joined the Financial Alliance for Women, which supports initiatives focused on women’s financial growth and on raising awareness about their important role in the economy. Currently, Pichincha is a leader in the development of funding programs for micro, small and medium enterprises led by women.