On Saturday, Aug. 17, the Pacific Football Club (PFC) is set to host a meet-and-greet with female athletes, coaches and business professionals to give young women a chance to meet sporting role models. 

Rugby player Charity Williams and racewalker Olivia Lundman, both of whom competed in the Paris 2024 Olympics, will be there. 

The event will take place at Starlight Stadium in Langford before the Victoria club plays Atl茅tico Ottawa at 3 p.m. 

PFCB次元官网网址檚 senior marketing manager Simon Avila hopes the meet-and-greet will encourage young women to pursue their sporting dreams in the B次元官网网址渕ale-dominated industry.B次元官网网址�  

According to data from Toronto-based advocacy group Canadian Women and Sport, men fill a disproportionate number of sports leadership roles.

For example, 95 per cent of head coaches for womenB次元官网网址檚 U Sports and Canadian Collegiate Athletics Association teams are men. For men's teams in these leagues, that number is 97 per cent.

B次元官网网址淭he lack of representation of women in leadership roles is a limiting factor for girlsB次元官网网址� and womenB次元官网网址檚 participation in sport and quality sport experiences,B次元官网网址� the group wrote in its 2020 Rally Report. 

In terms of participation in sports, data from one of the organization's surveys of over 7,500 Canadian women and girls showed that one in three young girls reported B次元官网网址減oor perceptions of belonging and feeling unwelcome" as factors stopping them from continuing in sport.

The club's community crew manager Marijke McDonald emphasized the importance of events like this one in remedying these problems. 

B次元官网网址淵ou have to believe in yourself and you have to have confidence in yourself that you deserve to be in those roles,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淗opefully the event tomorrow is kind of like step one to empower young women and to inspire them to do those things.B次元官网网址� 

Avila acknowledged that, despite this event, the club has a lot to do to promote gender equity within its own organization. 

For example, the majority of the clubB次元官网网址檚 first team coaching and business operations staff are men, according to information available on PFC's website. 

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 still work to do for sure, but I think itB次元官网网址檚 been a priority for us to ensure that we are providing opportunity, we are providing a pathway,B次元官网网址� said Avila. "We as an organization are working toward that, and I think this is a good opportunity ... to showcase some of the people we do have in our organization because I think that a lot of them could be role models to a lot of the young girls in our community."

The athletes, coaches and business professionals at the meet-and-greet will be honoured at halftime.

For tickets to the event, visit: .