There was no clock in the old Catholic church, but Paola Kuri was so focused on the time she could hear the ticktock, ticktock ringing in her ears. It was a First Holy Communion like many she had attended as a little girl in Mexico City, and as usual, she was in another flower-printed dress that she couldnt wait to take off.As soon as the ceremony was over, Kuri bolted for the car. The boys might pick teams and leave her out if she didnt get to the soccer field fast enough. So, she slid on her jeans, next to her soccer jersey and tennis shoes in the backseat, and told her dad to step on the gas.It was like changing into my superhero outfit, Kuri says. When I got onto the soccer field, that was my world.The founder of?Fut sin Género (Soccer without Gender), an initiative to promote womens soccer in Mexico, Kuris obsession with the sport began as a three year old, kicking a ball in her parents backyard until the sun went down. A skinny girl with a thicket of blondish-brown hair that she stuffed into a baseball cap to look tough enough for the boys to let her play, she was a natural. Before the age of 10, she had earned a place as one of the best players in the neighborhood -- the only girl on the field.Kuris passion for soccer developed alongside a commitment to art. Before completing a communications degree from Ibero-American University, where she played soccer on an all-female team, she moved abroad to Italy to earn an MFA at Florence University of the Arts. In 2013, she and her brother Rubén co-founded Ethos Arte, an art fair that annually showcases more than 500 pieces from 60 emerging Mexican artists at the Expo Santa Fe.Around that time, Kuri also began contributing articles to a blog dedicated to womens soccer, Ellas Tambíen Saben?(They Also Know). Hoping to marry her love of art and sport, she interviewed 50 different people about what soccer means to them and posted the answers up alongside pictures of her body painted while wearing her soccer gear. Within hours, the post, #YoSoyFutbol (#IAmSoccer), was shared by notable figures in Mexico, including former national team soccer player Luis García and former first lady Margarita Zavala.I chose not to reveal the gender of any of the people, Kuri says. It was an important way of saying: It doesnt matter whether you are a man or a woman, soccer belongs to all of us, and we all love it for the same reasons.Kuris social media presence ballooned overnight. After receiving calls from newspapers and messages from people interested in discussing her project, she registered Fut sin Género and began work on campaigns promoting the sport.What weve done with Fut sin Género is hit the red button to start the conversation about womens soccer, Kuri says. We have a big task ahead of us -- we need to make a statement that will touch the whole country.For the past year, that statement was clear: Play a role in launching the first professional womens soccer league in Mexicos history.***Before Kuri arrived in the United States as a participant in the 2016 U.S. Department of State and espnW Global Sports Mentoring Program, the potential for a professional womens soccer league seemed likelier than ever.In May 2015, the Mexican Football Federation launched La Liga Nacional Femenil, the countrys first national womens amateur league. The inaugural season began with 158 teams from 19 states in two age categories: under-13 and under-16.There were 3,000 girls every week playing football, says Lucia Mijares Martinez, technical director of development for the federation.The second season would create an even wider impact, according to Martinez, with three age categories (under-13, under-15, under-17), at least five more states and a 25 percent growth in teams.Our objective (at the federation) is to motivate, engage and inspire girls in Mexico through football, Martinez says, We want to build a competitive league, train coaches and generate a platform for future womens football heroes.As Kuri returned from Los Angeles, where she spent three weeks in October and November being mentored by Joan Coraggio, group director for sponsorship and experiential marketing at Saatchi & Saatchi Los Angeles, the pieces for a professional league to follow the amateur league began falling into place.Then, the official announcement came on Dec. 5. The federation would launch Liga MX Femenil, a professional womens league consisting of 18 teams, for the spring of 2017.The announcement was the culmination of years of hard work by women like Kuri, Mijares Martinez and many others, including fellow GSMP alumna Cecilia Vales, who founded a nongovernmental organization, She Wins Mexico. From grassroots programs to reach girls in underserved areas of Mexico (Vales), to advocating for womens soccer from within the federation (Martinez), to rallying supporters and pushing the message of gender equality to thousands through social media (Kuri), women came together to claim a space on the field for themselves and many more to come after them.But the fact that one of her lifes greatest ambitions was fulfilled earlier this month has not slowed Kuri down.This is just the first step, Kuri says. We still face challenges: the mindset of machismo and making womens soccer popular across Mexico. But weve opened a path to get there.With the same hardworking mindset, Kuri continues striving to get girls playing soccer. In recent months, she has partnered with prominent professional European soccer clubs to support the development of girls soccer academies throughout Mexico City. Kuri and her Ethos team are also at work recovering spaces in marginalized communities, painting the fields, restoring the grass, and partnering with shoe company Puma to provide balls and cleats for girls to play.Her brother, Rubén, has had the benefit of seeing Kuris passion from the time they were kids to now as co-founders of Ethos. He remembers when the cousins would get together to play soccer and Paola was the automatic choice for team captain. He also remembers the frustration he felt when his sister would leave the house dressed like a boy, thinking it wasnt fair that she had to become someone else just so she could play.I would try to make it better by telling her to at least wear some dresses and heels when she wasnt going to play, he says. And shed tell me, No, lets go to Puma or Adidas! To this day, we may have an important meeting, and well pass by a sports store, and Ill tell her, Dont even think about it! Its our little joke.As with his older sister, the success of Fut sin Género also caught Rubén by surprise. With messages of support and invitations to lead girls clinics coming in for Kuri from Monterey, Guadalajara, Tijuana and Queretaro, she has had to step back from some of her responsibilities in the art world. But, Rubén is happy to support his sister in her other life as an advocate.I believe you are born with a gift, and this is definitely Paolas gift, he says.The gift extends from the soccer field to the internet, where Kuri manages Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts with tens of thousands of followers. In every post, she seems to share the same message that she did in the #IAmSoccer blog post more than a year ago: Soccer belongs to everyone.The future of womens soccer in Mexico is not cemented despite the establishment of the womens league. Knowing that, Kuri was led through a mental exercise by her mentor, Coraggio, before leaving Los Angeles last month. In it, Coraggio challenged her motivations for wanting a professional league for women. It was an important part of the younger woman realizing the fire that drives her comes from somewhere deeper than just making history.We are challenging ideologies that soccer is only for men, Kuri says. We are making a statement for gender equality. For me, that matters more than anything.Brian Canever is the digital content manager for the Center for Sport, Peace, & Society at the University of Tennessee and works closely with the GSMP participants. Jerseys NFL Authentic China . The 28-year-old from Calgary matched his career best after missing just one shot in his two rounds of shooting in the mens 10-kilometre sprint competition. Smith finished in 23 minutes 15. Cheap Jerseys Shop . Its 1987 and a Brazilian playmaker, known as Mirandinha, is being paraded around St James Park to the passionate Newcastle fans. http://www.cheapnfljerseys.pro/ . LOUIS -- Roman Polak was celebrating even before Alexander Steen scored the winning goal in Saturdays 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Wholesale NFL Jerseys . Paul Pierce couldnt believe he missed at the end. Young scored a season-high 26 points to spark a huge effort from the leagues most productive bench, and Los Angeles beat the Brooklyn Nets 99-94 on Wednesday night after blowing a 27-point lead. Cheap Black NFL Jerseys . The parade and rally were held to celebrate the Saskatchewan Roughriders 45-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday in the CFLs championship game. Her parents say they love when it happens, usually in the handshake line after a game when they hear the surprised tone in someones voice.Sometimes it is preceded by, Oh my God, as in Oh my God, that was a girl, which is what an opposing coach said recently after Auburn Roberson threw the winning touchdown pass, then took off her helmet as the two teams traded good games.Were like, Oh yeah, they just found out shes a girl, Autumn Roberson says of her 13-year-old daughter. And shed rather it be like that. Thats why her hair is never down, its never sticking out, because she wants you to think shes one of the boys.Its really all Auburn asks. No fanfare. No special favors. In fact, the only time she was ever close to being annoyed with her best friend, Justin Birkelbach, whos three months younger than Auburn but 122 pounds heavier and 11 inches taller, was when he refused to tackle her hard.It was the first year we were on different teams -- we were in fourth grade, Birkelbach, 12, recalls. I was scared to death to tackle her the first time, and I remember when I did tackle her, I gently placed her on the ground. Then right after, I tried to help her back up because I didnt want to just leave her on the ground.She kept dropping hints later that she wanted me to try harder and just play regularly.He would find out the depth of that wish when all five-feet, 105 pounds of her bore down on him at a game a few weeks ago, and took him out at the ankles.Im not at all worried about her [anymore], he says with a smile. If anything, Im worried about the people she tackles.One of an estimated 25,000 girls who played the sport on the youth level in this country last year (according to USA Football), Auburn loves football. She loves it so much that her bedroom -- with the Fatheads of her in uniform from her Super Bowl-winning teams; the NFL-themed bed linens and furniture; assorted signed footballs and framed photos; trophies; a Cam Newton feature wall and closet full of football jerseys -- is every football-lovers dream, and the envy of all her little brothers friends.She loves football so much that after a brief and ill-fated attempt by her mother, a former college cheerleader, to enroll her in dance classes as a toddler, her parents snuck her into an all-sports recreational program at age 4 -- one year younger than the enrollment requirements.They should have known by then that that was where Auburn would be happiest. At a year and a half, her father, Brian, noticed that when theyd throw a ball around the house -- any ball -- she had perfect aim; she could throw it on a line and zip it right in at you.Auburn loves football so much that when she started bringing home books from the school library in first grade, the first one was The History of the Green Bay Packers.After that, it was the history of any team, Autumn says. So I know more about every team than I want to.Auburn, who plays quarterback and middle linebacker for the Haines Middle School team in St. Charles, Illinois, and quarterback, running back and safety for her area club team, the Tri-City Chargers, loves the sport so much that she says she would like to continue to play on the high school level, college level and until recently, maybe even the NFL level.She doesnt rule out the womens pro league, either. Its all right, the uniforms kind of throw me off [though], she says of the Legends Football Leagues bikinis-with-shoulder pads look. If it was more like the NFL, Id probably like to play, yeah.But realistically, what is her future in the game?Sam Gordon was 9 when she shot to YouTube fame after her father, Brent, circulated a highlight reel that showed his less-than-60-pound daughter whizzing past defenders and scoring at will in her mostly male tackle football league in the suburbs of Salt Lake City, Utah.Sam, now a 13-year-old eighth-grader, has serious aspirations and elite talent in soccer, but she still plays football. Now, however, it is in an all-girls tackle football league she and her father started two years ago after Sam asked kids at a school assembly if any girls were interested in playing, and nearly every hand shot up.Last season, they had more than 100 girls enrolled in the eight-team league. And Sam says she feels for Auburn and female football players like her who are usually at a size disadvantage against boys as they enter their teenage years.It really is unfortunate girls dont have quite as good opportunities to get college scholarships in football, and it seems like less of a chance to play in high school, just because by that age, girls at their peak form are not going to be as tall and heavy as boys, she says.That was where my dream of girls tackle football comes in. I want girls like [Auburn] to be able to play in high school and get college scholarships and play football at a professional level, and I think [girls leagues] give more girls opportunities to do what they want to do.Sam said she heard from girls who wanted to play football, but who said their parents did not want them to compete against boys. The all-girls league is a good solution, she says, and she doesnt miss playing with boys.All the girls have such a fun time, which is a little different with boys. With boys, you see many of them doing it for a long time, but not with the same love of the game that the girls have. With girls, everyone really wants to be there, so it makes the experience so much better.She will pursue soccer, but said she wants to continue to play in an all-girls football league, hoping to entice high schools in her area to start club teams. At 4-foot-8, 90 pounds, she said she couldnt envision playing with boys in high school.I think they would take me seriously in high school, but to be honest I dont know how good of a chance I would have, Sam says. I think I would be one of the better ones in agility and speed, but in size and strength, even compared to girls Im small, and Id be crushed by boys, honestly. It would be difficult getting a starting spot. When theyre that big, its very difficult.Brent Gordon said he is a big believer in the team building, discipline and hard work that carries over from football to other aspects of life.But I dont think in older age groups, the risk of injury is worth it, he says. There are other pursuits, theres also all-girls leagues. I think girls should definitely consider playing football at younger ages but definitely should also be realistic about their risk of injury as they get older.Auburn said she loves the game because she loves the action. In other sports, its maybe waiting around, or its too fast and I kind of like the pace of football, she says. Its really exciting and everything.She calls the plays on both offense and defense and its what she likes most about being quarterback.Im in charge of it all. I mean, Im not bossy about it or anything, but its nice to be in control because I almost know whats going to happen and whats happening around me, so its easier.She loves Joe Montana and Tom Brady, but worsships Cam Newton because of his style of play.ddddddddddddEspecially at this age, seventh grade, probably the first reaction [of other boys] is Oh, its a girl, lets go lay some hits on her, says her Haines teammate Max Medernich, 12. But Auburn is one of a kind, a Cam Newton sort of thing. She can throw, she can run, she can do anything. And people are shocked by her. Shes magnificent.Auburn also plays basketball with girls and baseball with boys and its her overall athletic ability that helps her most, says Luke Sharkey, 13, another Haines teammate.She has a great arm and can run really well, he says. Once she gets out of the pocket, I know theres a first down coming or a significant play.Autumn, who has two younger children -- August, 11, and Braidy, 9 -- says she thought it was crazy to allow her oldest daughter to begin tackle football at age 7. And her husband agreed it certainly wasnt part of any plan.It always just felt like she was meant to do it, Brian says. It was an easy decision on my part.He kept telling me, Shell be fine, Autumn says.Last year, when Brandon Petersen, a social studies teacher and the football, basketball and track coach at Haines for 14 years, asked his class who was interested in playing football this fall, Auburn raised her hand.I never had a girl volunteer to play football for my team before, Petersen says. So out of curiosity I said, What position do you want to play? And she said quarterback, and I was like, Thats interesting.He says his first thought was how they would handle the whole locker room thing. His second? Could she handle the physicality? When we do tackling drills, can she handle it?Then he saw her throw.I was like, Whoa, now I can see why she wants to play quarterback, he says. When we do tackling drills, shell put her shoulder right into anybody. We had a game [a few weeks ago] and they had a kid about 200 pounds and she just took him down like it was nothing.Petersen calls Auburn poised, a great leader who commands the huddle, and an astute student of the game who recognized offenses and defenses scarcely before he introduces them. As for the reaction of his male players, many of whom had played with Auburn since second grade? They recognize how good she is and the transition has been seamless, he says. Ive never had to acknowledge the fact that shes a girl or her gender at all.Her Tri-City Chargers coach Brian Glon said he was not aware Auburn was a girl during league evaluations prior to their draft, but after finding out, he came home and announced to his wife: I might draft a girl.I told her, You dont understand, she is head and shoulders better than most of the boys her age, Glon says.He calls Auburn one of the best we have as far as technique, shes a great tackler ... has a fantastic stiff arm, probably the best in the league, he says. Shes not the fastest in straightaway speed, but shes powerful. And as a competitor, we were just in a fourth-down situation with the clock winding down and she told me, Coach, give me the ball, Ill get the first down. I did and sure enough, she pushed her way in there and we won the game.But as with all football players, size is still an issue.When the boys mature from eighth grade to freshman year, is she going to be able to mature? he said. Right now, shes one of the fastest and strongest and can throw the ball 40 to 50 yards. But can she continue to grow?St. Charles North, the high school where Auburn and her Haines classmates will attend in two years, is currently 9-2 in football and ranked 44th in the state. In his four years as head coach, Rob Pomazak has sent 13 players to compete on the collegiate level -- six to Division I schools -- and currently has three players committed to play at D-I schools.But Pomazak does not hesitate when asked about Auburn one day playing for him and becoming one of the more than 1,700 girls who play high school football in the U.S., according to the National Federation of State High School Associations.Currently, shes the best quarterback at her school at her grade level, so I dont see any reason why she wouldnt come in at quarterback as a freshman, Pomazak says. After that, whether she stays at quarterback or we have to put her at running back or another position to be successful, whatever is in her best interest. But if shes the best player at her position, there is no reason for her not to continue to play that position.The smallest player on Pomazaks varsity squad this season is 5-5, 130 pounds. He has four players who weigh less than 150 pounds. While the coach acknowledges that at some point Auburn (whose parents are 5-6 and 5-8) might not be able to match up physically, he is aware of her desire for a career in football one day, possibly as an NFL scout or coach.If coaching is in her future, we want to put her in the best position to have her keep learning the game, Pomazak says. [But] I hope she plays four years, Ill be perfectly honest. We dont have many people with the leadership skills and drive Auburn has. By no means will we try to hide her or put her as a manager.He says he fully expects his team as well as the community to be as receptive to Auburn as they were to Kat Stutzman, a soccer goalie and kicker he had on his team who graduated in 2013 and went on to the Air Force Academy, though she did not continue on in football.Her teammates will have played with her since second grade and will all be very familiar with Auburn, he says.And theyre apparently not interested in leaving her behind.I hope she does [play in high school], says Haines teammate Josh Kennedy, 13. Its going to get a lot harder for her, but I think its definitely possible. All she has to do is just keep working hard like she has been. A couple years ago she told me she had a quarterback coach and I was like, Wow, she really takes this seriously.For now, Auburn says she is concentrating on basketball because she knows she can probably play in high school. Her father also stuck a golf club in her hand a few years ago. Im not too bad at golf, she says. If I could get a scholarship in that, that would be good.Auburns parents are unlikely to be surprised at anything at this point. With other sports when the season is done, now its time to move onto the next one, Brian says. But she never tires of football. I just feel shes meant to keep playing. She likes it that much.Autumn admits their daughter has blown our minds playing this long. But, the reality is that if Auburn wants a college athletic scholarship, it probably wont happen in football.I just kind of want to play as long as I can, Auburn says. If I could make it to high school, that would be nice. I think I could probably [make it] freshman year but anything past that, Id have to work really hard for it. Just being smaller, all of them are so big. ...I can punt. I could try kicking. I really just want to be around the game. ' ' '