Inna Palacios, a GirlsGotThis ambassador and a member of the Philippines women's national football team tells her story of how she became a professional women's football player. She shares her journey about how it all started, her struggles and her commitment to achieve her dream.*
*Please see a written summary of the video below
At what age did you discover this specific discipline was for you?
I started playing football when I was 9 or 10 years old. It wasn't my first sport, but it was the last one I learned that I stuck with and that's how it all started.
How often did you train when you started and how often are you training now?
I would train 2 to 3 times a week but when I got older and the demand was getting higher, we would train more frequently. I started training everyday, sometimes twice a day. But we love it, we enjoy the grind and that's why we do it!
When did you realize you wanted to make this sport an essential part of your life?
When I couldn't imagine my life without it, or without sports in general! It is what I found my passion in.
What kind of barriers were there which you had to overcome in order to become better and successful?
I think when many of us are trying to better ourselves, we will face barriers in life, whether it's an injury or another problem. They're all barriers that we just have to climb up and see the brighter side. When I face those challenges, I make it a point to look at the positive side and use this to really better myself because when I come out of the other side, I know i'm going to be a better person and player; that's what matters.
What achievements are you most proud of?
If you're talking about your trophies and your wins, I think it will be the UUAP championship I won for La Salle, right before I graduated; then qualifying for the AFCU Asian cup finals in 2017 with the national team.
The real achievement, however, is being part of great teams that share the same values as me, that really help me grow as an individual. I don't think anything will ever replace that one.
How did this sport empower you as a woman?
Sports empowers me because it makes me feel like I am in control of what I do. I'm in total control when I'm playing. I get to be my authentic self and just offer who I am and what I can do on the field.
What does 'Girls Got This' mean to you?
GGT means hope to me. Kids are able to fulfill their dreams and they have an organisation that supports them and pushes them to dream big and aim high. The GirlsGotThis community projects mean a lot to me because it shows that through sports you can really achieve many things in life.
That's why I'm here to tell you my story because it really did me good in my life. I've met so many people, I've been to many places all because of just playing sports.
What would you like to say to the girls in our program?
I want you guys to find the strength, to push through with your passion and really dream big. When you have that dream, you chase it because you can achieve anything you want in life and you just have to power through and have that in you!
You really can do it, dont give up on your dreams, because one day through sports or whatever it is; that will really help you achieve what you really want in life.
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