The Club was represented by Chairwoman, Layhoon Chan and Director, Kim Koh. The VCF Foundation had Director and President, Ser Miang Ng, in attendance along with Social Ambassador, Juan Cruz Sol. Also present on behalf of the club were players Shkodran Mustafi and Paco Alcácer and Director of Communications and External Relations, Damià Vidagany. Hanny Cueva-Beteta, Regional Director for Governance and Security and Regional Director for Asia, was one of those attending as representatives of UN Women.

Speaking at the presentation, Layhoon Chan said that for the club, "it is an honour to collaborate with UN Women, and work with the public and private sectors through various initiatives -including the HeforShe campaign to promote the participation of men in gender equality." She added in her speech that it gave her great joy "to use football, the most popular sport in the world, to help improve the lives of women, highlighting the importance of eradicating poverty, promoting education, raising attention to healthcare and the adoption of healthier lifestyles for women. Working towards a fair society in which everyone is equal, the club and I are happy to use our influence to invite more people to join us in supporting gender equality."



Shkodran Mustafi added that “Valencia CF have a very young team and for us equal treatment between men and women is taken as normal, but we know that in many countries men need to support women in the quest to achieve equality. Every time we go onto the pitch, we know we are fighting for more than just the three points or the victory –we are fighting for women around the world."



Hanny Cueva-Beteta, Regional Advisor for Governance and Security and Regional Director for Asia, said that UN Women "values the leadership of Layhoon Chan at Valencia CF and her support for promoting gender equality. She has put this global agenda closer to the heart of Valencia CF. We also thank all the players at Valencia for intensifying their commitment. You are truly our champions for gender equality." Ms. Cueva-Beteta also wanted to emphasise that our team can help by using their influence to make marginalisation visible and seek solutions to ensure that women have access to areas where decisions that affect the lives of everyone in society are taken. "We know that millions of fans follow Valencia CF and we are confident that this partnership will help us to mobilise numerous supporters to get behind gender equality -not only in China but throughout the world," she added.



The involvement of Valencia Club de Fútbol as ambassador was evident in a workshop carried out by the team with 30 children at the Beijing National Stadium, where the club wanted to instill the values ​​that make it an exceptional partner to UN Women.