A new grassroots football programme has been presented in Uruguay as an alternative to education on gender equality in childhood and amongst the youth.

'Por el juego y por tus derechos: una transformación cultural a través del fútbol' (ENG 'For the game and for your rights: a cultural transformation through football') is the result of a collaboration between the Uruguayan National Institute for Women (Inmujeres), the national body for youth football (ONFI) and the ministry of sport and is expected to reach 60,000 children.

On its first year the programme will look to build the capacity of sports bodies to help address gender stereotypes and work on the empowerment of girls and women.

Some of the activities planned consist on: working with football coaches on developing their skills to run activities that promote gender equality; workshops with children, youth and their families to deconstruct gender stereotypes and roles and aimed at including girls in football; awareness-raising workshops on empowerment and human rights for girls and women that play football - on health, sexual reproductive rights, violence prevention, nutrition, leadership, etc.; and, strengthening women's football by creating conditions for its development.

The project was officially presented on Wednesday 24 May in the Uruguayan capital Montevideo, two months after the partner organisations announced the collaboration.

Magdalena Furtado representative ONU Mujeres (ENG 'ONU Women') said: "This project is a very interesting and challenging proposal to further equality and the same opportunities for both genders".

Furtado highlighted the potential of football to unleash a cultural change due to the sport's importance to Uruguayan culture.