Throughout 2020, the sports club of the mining company will support the under-17 and adult female teams of the Antofagasta Sports Club through the signing of an agreement. During the event, the new shirt and sportswear with which they will defend the title of the ANFP national tournament were presented.
The senior leadership of Club de Deportes Antofagasta, SQM executives, regional authorities, and the teams from the Puma squad, participated in the agreement signing ceremony that makes Club Deportivo SQM Salar the official sponsor of the U-17 and Adult women’s categories.
An activity that took place within the framework of the commemoration of International Women’s Day and where the shirt was officially presented, the clothing with which they will represent Antofagasta in the ANFP 2020 national women’s soccer championship.
This important milestone facing local women’s sports brings the athletes closer to their dream: to represent Antofagasta and Chile in the Copa Libertadores. Priscila Hidalgo is a CDA leader and the daughter of an SQM worker, so this alliance between the mining company and the CDA has a double meaning. “I am very happy with this agreement because before we did not have much local support. It is very significant to be the daughter of a SQM worker, as the company is committed to the development of sports and women’s soccer. Without a doubt, we are taking a big step that will lead us to enhance our performance and raise the name of Antofagasta”, highlighted the athlete from María Elena.
Meanwhile, Claudio Castillo, president of Club Deportivo SQM Salar, explained that: “this alliance that the company makes with Club de Deportes Antofagasta comes to settle a debt that the region has with women’s football, since locally the great potential and talent that we have in the region”.
In addition, he pointed out that: “the objective of this project is to be able to reach the Copa Libertadores with both teams, and we will work hard for it. As a sponsor, we will provide all the conditions for those selected to have a good performance, and as an objective, we have set ourselves the stage of holding the most important matches of the national tournament in María Elena, a town near one of SQM’s operations and which was the birthplace decades ago of encouraging national athletes”.
Natalia Pizarro, Vice President of People and Performance at SQM, explained: “The agreement is undoubtedly a reflection of our women’s inclusive policy. In the mining industry, we are one of the companies with the highest percentage of female inclusion. Today we have 16.4%, so this type of alliance reinforces that spirit, and as a company, we are proud to promote a healthier life through sport”.
On behalf of the CDA, Víctor Oyarzún, the club’s Sports Manager, stated that “for us, it is a very important step. We are very happy with this support that directly benefits the athletes. We want them to feel comfortable and welcomed by the institution, so we hope that this alliance reflects the joint work that we are doing for and for them”.
It should be noted that sport is a powerful tool to strengthen social ties and promote associated values such as loyalty, effort, solidarity and camaraderie, among others.
