Allianz launches two initiatives for women who play soccer

The Squared Ball: when the ball is square

Many people dream of getting into professional soccer, but it is a goal that, in reality, is unattainable for many women. An Allianz survey shows that financial obstacles prevent 64 percent of women from pursuing their passion, such as becoming a professional athlete. The challenges are daunting and complex. Ahead of the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, Allianz has launched two new initiatives to help women overcome financial uncertainty on their path to professional soccer

Unfair rules: a difficult game with a square ball

For women, talent and motivation alone are rarely enough to ensure a secure financial position in professional soccer. In major European soccer leagues, more than one in ten women receive no salary at all. For female players, caught between their high-performance sport and the difficulties of financial insecurity, it is like playing with a square ball.

Allianz’s The Squared Ball is a tangible representation of the many challenges and difficulties faced by women in professional soccer. With this campaign, Allianz seeks to draw attention to the financial challenges and related uncertainties faced by women in soccer and offer the tools to counter them through the Allianz Ready Coach initiative.

In addition to the symbolic square shape, the design of The Squared Ball features suggestions based on studies of the challenges faced by women in soccer, encouraging both discussion and learning. “The data clearly show that financial barriers, among others, are what prevent women from pursuing their passion as professional soccer players. Knowledge of financial issues and a clear understanding of their plans and options can help young female athletes pursue their careers with financial peace of mind,” says Christian Deuringer, Head of Global Brand Management at Allianz SE.

Allianz launched the Allianz Ready Coach initiative to offer free, tailored financial education to aspiring professional female soccer players, among other female athletes. Allianz Ready Coach Alessandra Jovy-Heuser (Aless) has extensive experience as a professional volleyball player and finance expert. Aless knows all too well the challenges female athletes face as they embark on a professional career: “When I was a professional athlete, I wished I had someone with financial expertise to help me. It is important that young female athletes are supported in building their financial foundation and are prepared for the future. From the first steps, to signing a contract to long-term career planning, financial knowledge is a key component to leading the way and turning one’s passion into a career. As an Allianz Ready Coach, I am happy to be able to offer advice on how to use and invest money effectively.” In addition to the Allianz Ready Coach, Allianz also offers the Allianz Future Workout for the next generation of athletes, including Olympians and Paralympians.

Financial literacy as a foundation for achieving professional dreams

The Squared Ball and Allianz Ready Coach are part of a comprehensive and holistic effort by Allianz to promote financial literacy. The Allianz Financial Literacy Hub brings together all of Allianz’s research on financial literacy, providing data to identify areas of impact useful in reducing insecurity and increasing access to financial knowledge. This month Allianz launched a new platform called Allianz Finance Workout, which provides e-learning training and interactive tools on a wide range of everyday financial and investment topics.