Across Women's Lives

When the Chilean women’s national team, La Roja, takes the field in France, next Tuesday, June 11, it will be a dream most of the players never thought possible.Not because of talent but because of a pure lack of resources and support. “It was a dream to be on the national team. But the way you dreamed it wasn’t the way it was."Iona Rothfeld, soccer player and founder of the National Association of Women Soccer Players — ANJUFF“It was a dream to be on the national team. But the way you dreamed it wasn’t the way it was,” said Iona Rothfeld, who played on the national team for seven years. When Iona Rothfeld first played on Universidad Católica, she had to pay to be on the team. Credit: José Angel/Courtesy of Iona Rothfeld For decades, the national federation consistently underfunded women’s soccer: Women played on fields only when the men weren’t using them and didn’t have their own locker rooms. For away games, the women flew coach; meanwhile, the men flew bu