On a hot morning in the mountainous city of Antigua in southern Guatemala, I joined Antigua’s rugby team for their Sunday practice. The astroturf, a rough pitch intended for football, is divided in half. The men's teams train on one side, practising defending and tackling drills. On the other, the women's team gather around a recruiter for the national team, something some of the players would not have thought possible just a few years ago.

Women's rugby only officially started up in Guatemala in 2012, and it wasn’t until 2020 that they played their first international 15s game, appropriately on international women's day. This women's side was created after the pandemic as part of the effort to build the club back up again after harsh lockdown rules.

Inclusion is championed here. There is no room for discrimination. In a country that wrestles with a culture of sexism and machismo, the sharing of the pitch reflects the equality within the Antigua team. Mariano Marroquín, one of the coaches of the women's team, told me they have sent away players on the men's team who have had a problem with the women’s side. For many of the women on the team, it is not just about playing the sport they love, but about demonstrating their strength and capability in a male dominated field.

Lariza Nicole, one of the team's star players, said: “The sport has a very macho attitude that only men can. We show the opposite is true. I think we are demonstrating that we can also be good in what men do and we clearly motivate other women so that they can also do sport, or anything else.”

Things are changing for their generation of women compared to their parents, both in terms of opportunities and attitudes.  There are now lots more opportunities for girls to play a variety of sports, though, as women, some feel they have to be more disciplined to get these opportunities. 

Lariza believes women playing sports today are creating “a great change” in the outlook of older generations, a realisation that girls and women can achieve anything they want. “If I can play rugby, if I can do this, I am capable of doing other things. The truth is, this sport is very rough, so if I can do this, I can achieve anything.”

The women in her family tell her to take advantage of it as much as possible because it is a privilege to be able to play - a privilege they didn’t have. “I love rugby. I was born for rugby and I’m going to die for rugby” she tells me with a laugh.

While football is the national sport of Guatemala, rugby has gained more popularity in recent years and the country was finally granted full World Rugby member status in November 2024. This is an exciting development for the country, one which signifies more attention and funding, and subsequently the increasing growth of opportunities for women and girls in the sport.

Each year the World Economic Forum releases their Global Gender Gap Report - data gathered on gender equality around the world. In their 2024 report, Guatemala ranked 93 out of the 146 countries included in the study with a score of 0.697 (0 being total inequality, 1 being parity). For comparison, Iceland topped the rankings with 0.935 and Sudan sat at 146th with 0.568.

A factor in the scores is women who have positions in leadership roles. Katy Lopez, who has been captain of the team since she was 14, says the leadership experience she has gained on the pitch gives her inspiration to seek leadership roles in politics in the future. 

This is the overarching theme for the women on the team. Their love of rugby is matched with the empowerment it gives them away from the pitch, the skills and capabilities that have been nurtured through their training. While for some it is something that enhances their quality of life, for others it has become so much more.

Some months after the recruiter met them in Antigua, Lariza was selected to represent Guatemala internationally. In their Instagram post, Antigua Rugby wrote, “since its beginnings, Lariza has been a fundamental part of our family, and this achievement is just a reflection of her effort and dedication.”