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Name: Sol Fauquier
Pronouns: She/they
Industry Position: Gender Equity Lead 
Organization/ Team: Common Goal
Moto: Changing the game by leading gender equity & inclusion projects in grassroots football & beyond!
Contact info: Linkedin – Sol Fauquier

What’s your favorite thing about working in soccer?
Well, I’m European, so let me call it football from now on! Common Goal is a global impact movement bringing the world of football together to tackle the most challenging problems of our time. Working in the football for good industry, I can combine my passion for the beautiful game while working towards girls’ and women’s rights, LGBTIQ+ rights, racial justice, environmental action, and mental health. I get to do all that working together with over 190 inspiring football organizations around the world and with the support of players, clubs, and other key stakeholders in the industry.

What are you most excited about for the 2023 Women’s World Cup? 
I’d love to see the women’s game becoming a role model for the industry because we all want football to be its best self. I think the Women’s World Cup will inspire society to embrace equity driven by the inclusive spirit of women’s football. I’m also excited to see the growth in number of people attending and watching the games. It was about time for these great players to get the recognition they deserve. They are the role models they never had. Girls, boys, and non-binary youth can look up to them. They are helping to break gender stereotypes. Wherever there’s a woman playing football, there’s an activist, even without trying to be one.

I’m also excited to see emerging teams giving a hard time to consolidated players! The competition just keeps getting better!

You’re the lead for the implementation of Gender Equity projects across continents; what were your top priorities for World Cup preparations? What are your priorities now the tournament has begun? 

The whole Common Goal team had a really packed agenda for the World Cup and big challenges ahead. Our priorities were bringing communities together, empowering young leaders, and inspiring players to do more and do better. And all the work has been worth it:

• We have organized Festival23 together with our local partners Creating Chances. In the festival, 70 football for good women coaches from more than 40 countries around the world will attend an 8-day leadership program in Sydney and during the World Cup. They will strengthen their capacity around topics like gender equity, employability, leadership, inclusivity, and climate action, and they will take all those learnings back to their communities to keep impacting the lives of thousands of girls.
• German National Team has supported with a 1% pledge of all tournament earnings towards gender equity projects in their community.
• US National team has created an impactful campaign to advocate for mental health.
• 50+ athletes from at least five nationalities have committed to compensate for the carbon emissions of their flights to the World Cup.

What advice would you give someone who wants to become a Gender Equity Lead in the soccer industry?
Love social impact as much as you love the game. It’s not an easy journey because trying to change the world -let me tell you- is not an easy task! It’s a 24/7 commitment, but it’s also incredibly rewarding. 

What impact do you think more women and unrepresented folks working in soccer will have on equity in the industry? 
Football has always been a male-dominated ecosystem. The impact of more representation of those who have been left on the margins all these years is very much needed to create an equal play. Our presence will only add value with new angles and perspectives, more creativity, innovation, and the creation of safer spaces for all to thrive together. Football will only be even better with all of us in it.

Sol, thanks for changing the game and sharing your World Cup experience with us!

This WWC23 Starting XI Behind The Teams spotlight is brought to you by Women in Soccer in partnership with Talisman & Co.