I feel happy, powerful and free when I play

International Women's Day, #ISFGirlPower series, story 2: Anna Maria from Iceland

“At the time of the She Runs Active Girls Lead event, I had been injured for almost a year and some days were extremely hard. The participants, strong athletes from all over the World, really inspired me to work hard and reminded me, with their happiness and energy, what the true meaning of sport is.”

18-year-old Anna Maria is a football player for team Stjarnan and one of the 2500 young women who on March 13, 2019, took over the streets of Paris to spread the message on the importance of gender equality, girls' health and female leadership. 

She belives gender equality is very important, "I want to improve my generation and the upcoming generations’ future. There is no place for discrimination and inequality in the world.”

Cultural exchange and new global friendships made through the She Runs Scavenger Hunt is her most unforgettable ISF experience.

“We were divided into groups with girls from different parts of the world, and we walked around Paris and were solving the hunt’s tasks together. That day, me and my group became really good friends and we are still in touch till this day.”

Talking about the girls from all across the globe, Anna Maria wants to encourage them to make sport or any kind of physical activity a steady part of their lives. She believes sport not only benefits the physical but also mental health, and helps to develop a young person’s social life. Plus, sport is the best tool to make unforgettable memories and build friendships that last a lifetime.

“I do sports because I feel happy, powerful and free when I play. I enjoy training everyday with my team. In my opinion there is no better feeling than when yours and your teammates' hard work pays off (on the field).”

Her three older siblings were also her role models. They all played sports and she wanted to follow their path so her mom first took her to gymnastics when she was five, but she later switched to football and never looked back. Today her sport CV includes titles such as captain of the national U17 team and best player of the year in her club.

“Athletes that I admire are the footballers, Sam Kerr and Shanice van de Sanden. In my opinion they both play and see the game differently than other players and I connect with that.”

Another person she finds inspiring is the singer and songwriter Billie Eilish. Beside the love for her music, Anna Maria likes how she motivates her to be herself – unapologetically.

Her dream? Travelling the world and enjoy playing the beautiful game – football: “My biggest sport goal in life is to be a key player in the Icelandic national team. Playing for my country has always been a dream of mine. Another goal of mine is to play professionally for a big club.”