SIGA is delighted to announce the admission of 11 Portuguese footballers as mentees into the SIGAWomen Global Mentorship Programme.
This milestone development follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in September 2024 between SIGA and the Portuguese Players’ Union, reinforcing the parties commitment to promote and empower female athletes through dedicated advocacy and collaboration.
By joining this Programme, the Portuguese female squad will be matched with high-level international female industry leaders, who have committed to become SIGA Mentors.
The 11 players selected to receive mentorship are (alphabetically):
- Carla Couto, Former Football Player; Women’s Football Ambassador, Player’s Union (SJPF)
- Dolores Silva, Professional Football Player, SC Braga
- Inês Maia, Professional Football Player, Besiktas
- Laura Luís, Professional Football Player, Albergaria
- Marta Ferreira, Professional Football Player, Racing Power
- Matilde Fidalgo, Former Football Player, Women’s Football Advisor, Player’s Union (SJPF)
- Mariana Jaleca, Professional Football Player, Rio Ave
- Micaela Matos, Former Football Player, Women’s Football Delegate, Player’s Union (SJPF)
- Paula Encinas (Pauleta), Professional Football Player, SL Benfica
- Rita Fontemanha, Professional Football Player, Sporting
- Tatiana Pinto, Professional Football Player, At. Madrid
The welcoming event took place at the Players’ Union facilities in Odivelas, near Lisbon, amidst an atmosphere of enthusiasm, with the participation of key representatives from SIGA, including CEO Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros and Katie Simmonds, Chair of SIGA Women, and the president of the Players’ Union, Joaquim Evangelista.
Open to women aged 21 or over, the programme is designed to promote future leaders in Sport and foster greater diversity within the sporting industry, as advocated by SIGA’s Universal Standards on Good Governance. Teaching vital leadership skills and creating invaluable experiences, the eight-month programme will offer prospective mentees the opportunity to forge relationships with women who have trodden the leadership path, with a combination of group and bilateral digital sessions.
A highlight of the event was the launch of a Financial Literacy workshop specifically designed for female athletes. SIGA is set to roll out these courses later this year in partnership with the Sports Financial Literacy Academy (SFLA), an arm of APC Compliance. This initiative was presented by Katie Simmonds and Athena Constantinou (APC Compliance), and underscores SIGA’s commitment to providing tangible support and resources to female athletes.
Katie Simmonds, Chair of SIGA Women, stated:
“What a way to kick off the 2025 SIGAWomen Global Mentorship Programme with 11 female footballers from the Portuguese Players’ Union joining as mentees! The 6th cycle of the programme will be our best and biggest yet, with more global mentors and mentees joining from across the world as we achieve our goal of doubling the impact. Last year we connected 150 women from 32 countries. This year we are going for over 300!
Working together, we can change cultures and create a legacy to make the pathway of those that come after us, easier. I believe that financial literacy is a key component of female empowerment and independence, and it was a pleasure to deliver our first taster session of our course to the talented female footballers in Portugal. Stay tuned for the release of our courses on this topic and for our international calendar of SIGAWomen events.”
Joaquim Evangelista, President of the Portuguese Players’ Union, added:
“It is with immense satisfaction that the Players’ Union partners with SIGA in executing the signed memorandum of understanding to achieve this strategic objective of training and empowering our female players.
This program is, above all, an opportunity to contribute to the personal growth of the participants, enabling them to strengthen their contribution and leadership in football, both during and after their careers. Gender equality begins to be built through opportunities and differentiated experiences like this one.”
Click for more info on the SIGAWomen Global Mentorship Programme.
Apply now to secure your place!
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ABOUT SIGA
SIGA is the world’s leading organisation for Sport Integrity. We are creating a whole new landscape for the sports industry by delivering independent global rating and certification for world Sport to ensure it is governed and operates under the highest integrity standards: The SIGA Universal Standards.
Funded by our Members, SIGA is a non for profit global independent organisation with one aim: To ensure the sport industry is governed under the highest integrity standards so that the values of sport are protected.
SIGA is the only organisation to bring together sport, governments, academia, international organisations, sponsors, business, rights holders, NGOs and professional services companies, from every region in the world, around a common cause of fostering greater integrity throughout sport.
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