Quinley Quezada, a GirlsGotThis ambassador and a member of the Philippines womens national football team shares her journey to becoming a professional womens football player, what motivated her to succeed plus a few words of wisdom for the girls in our programme.*
*Please see a written summary of the video below
At what age did you discover this specific discipline was for you?
I was either 5 or 6 years old and I remember my parents putting my older sister on a soccer team, at that time I was too young to be on any team. I remember at my sisters practices and games I would be at the sidelines talking to my parents saying 'I can do that, put me in please' and the following year, I got to play!
How often did you train when you started and how often are you training now?
When I started out doing recreational soccer and then later on doing club, we practiced 2-3 times a week and we had games on the weekends.
When did you realize you wanted to make this sport an essential part of your life?
I realized quite early on when I started playing that I wanted to make it an essential part of my life, I just couldn't stop playing and I loved it. I remember going to the park and asking my dad if we could stay longer just so I can keep playing; since then I decided that I wanted to play in college and at pro level.
What kind of barriers were there which you had to overcome in order to become better and successful?
When I was younger I was physically smaller than all the other girls because I played one year up to be on the same team as my older sister; I had to learn how to have a bigger presence on the field.
As I got older, the barrier that challenged me was more on a mental side, I had to learn how to calm myself down, control my mind so it wasn't going 100 miles per hour during a game, realize what I need to do and just have a stronger mentality going into a game so that I can play at my best.
What achievements are you most proud of?
Trying out and making the Philippines national team; tryouts required a lot of physical and mental strength. Being on the team now just shows me that my hard work throughout all these years has paid off, it brings me so much happiness and I love every second of it; being able to play for an amazing country and meeting so many new people. I am so grateful and thankful for it.
How did this sport empower you as a woman?
This sport empowered me as a woman through all the attributes that I've learnt playing this sport and being on a team such as responsibility, accountability and perseverence. It has also given me confidence knowing that I can set a goal and put in the hard work to reach it and accomplish it.
What does 'Girls Got This' mean to you?
You can do anything you set your mind to, no matter what dream or aspiration you have, big or small, if you put in the hard work you can achieve it. GirlsGotThis means that you always have a group of women supporting you and cheering you on every step of the way!
What would you like to say to the girls in our program?
No dream is impossible, I love the saying 'if your dreams don't scare you, they aren't big enough' so dream as big as you can and reach for the stars as you can accomplish anything. Lastly but most importantly, always have faith in god and trust that he will provide for you and give you everything that you need, and trust that he will guide you towards his perfect plan.
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