JURUPA VALLEY, Calif. — When Bay FC forward, Scarlett Camberos, was growing up, there were not many camps for her to develop and showcase her skills. She would attend tournaments, hoping to perform well to impress coaches.
In Spain, a reality similar to Camberos’s is occurring in 2023, according to WomanGoal CEO, Martina Olivas. She says there are fewer opportunities for women to compete compared to men, and scouting is little to non-existent.
“Female scouting doesn’t exist,” Olivas told The Sporting Tribune. “If you don’t pay to pay to get into a club, it’s very difficult to be in a club. It does not exist. It is not a reality… Scouting in women’s football is not a reality. Not talking about the United States; it is another reality.”
Olivas hopes to change the state of scouting through WomanGoal, and she is involving those like Camberos who want to help. The WomanGoal team is traveling to five continents on their Global Tour, holding camps for players who are 17 years or older to develop and potentially be selected for the final draft in Spain.
At the final draft, sporting directors from top Spanish clubs will meet with the players and potentially select them. There will be 28 players there, and Olivas expects them to have varying play styles and skill sets as her team is scouting across the world. The entire process is being recorded for a docuseries to add further attention to the topic and explain recruitment in Spain.
From Dec. 18 to Dec. 20, the tour stopped in Southern California. WomanGoal considered multiple spots in the United States for the tour but landed on The Golden State as they believe it has a high level of talent. Coming to the United States was a must for WomanGoal as they believe the country has a relatively high level of development mechanisms for women’s soccer players.
“It is another reality in women’s sport and women’s soccer,” Olivas said. “All over the country, you have a good structure with clubs and academies, and you have the reference of professionalization. We knew that we had to go to the United States. We had different locations: Florida, Kansas, and California. We wanted to go the three places, but it wasn’t possible, so we decided to focus on California because we were sure that you would have talent there.”
On the first day of the Southern California camp, Camberos met with the group of prospects. She gave them advice and answered questions ranging from game-day breakfast to her mindset. Some participants also had a chance to take pictures with her as she is a player some of them idolize.
Camberos was not selected in the 2021 NWSL Draft but succeeded after playing in Liga MX Femenil with Club América Femenil before returning to the NWSL with Angel City. She scored one goal and added three assists in 20 games for them before being traded to Bay FC in early Dec. A few of the players in the camp were interested in Camberos’s journey after not being selected, as some of them are searching for a similar opportunity for growth.
“What WomanGoal is doing is so exciting, and it’s something that I didn’t really have growing up,” Camberos said. “I think it’s really important to share in their commitment to grow women’s soccer. I think that’s really cool and worldwide.
“There just wasn’t events like this. Mostly it was more you go into tournaments and hopefully showcase yourself in front of someone that day. But I think this is more of a direct way to connect players with professional coaches, scouts, which is really, really cool.”
Other ambassadors will be at upcoming stops, but some have yet to be revealed. However, Olivas said one is Columbian and the other is Spanish. Regardless of nationality, all of them want to help grow the value of women’s soccer.
The mission of the players is similar to Olivas’s in founding WomanGoal, who said she has always wanted to promote women’s soccer. She noticed the level of professionalism in the United States relative to other countries and wanted to help raise standards in Spain. She believes soccer players should be able to mainly focus on soccer to live instead of outside jobs.
“The thing that shocked me most is that in Spain, the football players have to work,” Olivas said. “They have to study, and they train. They play soccer matches on the weekends, but they have to work. They have to work to live, and that’s something that I can not be comfortable with… It’s always been one of the things that I want to change.”
While one goal of WomanGoal is to improve scouting and development through its draft, there is more to the project. Olivas wants to add value to women’s soccer. The documentary is one part of that mission, but they are also hosting a concert to give greater visibility to their draft prospects.
“WomanGoal has two goals,” Olivas said. “One is the professionalization of women’s football. That’s a very open goal… But also, WomanGoal is here to create value for women’s football. We do that by creating new scenarios and new business opportunities.”
Olivas and her team are traveling the world to add value to women’s soccer through their Global Tour. They are holding camps, events, and more to give players a chance to be scouted. And they are involving top soccer players like Camberos in the process. While the outcomes of their tour are still to be determined, they are striving to change the state of a sport and have notable figures supporting them.
