The first Belizean female to hold a FIFA CIES (International Centre for Sports Studies) Post Graduate Degree is Marketing and Communications Director at the Football Federation of Belize (FFB), Yashmin Juan. She completed the executive program in sports management via the University of the West Indies.
On December 14th, the FFB officially congratulated Juan, recognizing her as one of three Belizeans and the only woman in the country to have completed the program. The FFB said via a post that they take pride in promoting and supporting women in football in all aspects. This can be on the field as a player, coach, administrator, or manager.
According to FFB, Juan successfully completed her course while being a full-time employee with them, and as well as having to juggle her time between football, school, and being a mother. The FIFA CIES, a multi-disciplinary continuing education curriculum, consists of 150-200 hours of courses. The objective of this degree is to give students the broadest possible vision of management in modern sport.
Juan shared with The Sun that football is viewed as a man’s sport, which is a concept she wants to change. “To do that, however, I knew, I had to prepare myself,” said Juan. “While assuming an official post at the FFB, I realized that it is an uphill battle for women in the sport. My motivation does not only come from the passion I have in working with youths, but also in knowing the positive impact that sports have in the lives of individuals.” Juan said that the program was challenging, but she did her best to juggle her time between a full-time job and being a mother.
Yashmin Juan started her journey on the football field in 2018, when she volunteered as the Public Relations officer for the national football team. She continues her studies, pursuing a Master’s of Science in Management at the University of the West Indies.
