In the heart of Mexico, where football pulses through the veins of communities, Isabel found herself stepping onto a field dominated by boys, her passion outweighing the self-awareness of being the only girl in sight. At just six years old, she joined her younger brother’s team. Playing alongside boys until the age of 14, she faced a stark reality: there were no pathways for girls like her to dream, let alone thrive, in football. Yet, instead of resigning herself to a system that excluded her, Isabel grew curious—about the industry, the culture, and the untapped potential of football to spark societal change.
This curiosity would become her compass. Encouraged by a family whose life revolved around sports, Isabel began to envision a different kind of field—one where gender didn’t limit opportunities and where football served as a force for good. With a keen eye on the gaps in Mexico’s football ecosystem, she channeled her energy into research, discovering how the sport could combat issues like childhood obesity and promote community well-being. What started as personal frustration evolved into a mission to create spaces where women and girls could not only play but lead. From her early days questioning the sustainability of coaching careers to launching groundbreaking initiatives, Isabel’s journey exemplifies the transformative power of determination, vision, and a love for the game that transcends boundaries.

Today marks the launch of the alpha version of Isabel’s creation- Ambassador X, a groundbreaking project aimed at uniting leaders, organizations, and enthusiasts dedicated to supporting women’s football. Ambassador X will offer a collaborative space that shines a spotlight on impactful projects, visionary ambassadors, and influential leaders across the women’s football ecosystem. By fostering these connections and amplifying initiatives, the platform is designed to drive meaningful progress in the sport.

What better day then to discuss the beautiful game with Isabel!

Bonito: Welcome to the Bonito Platform Isabel. Tell us about how your passion for football began and how you were captivated to explore the ways the game could bring about positive changes for society? 

Isabel: It all started when I decided to start playing at the age of 6 in my younger brother’s football team. I was the only female playing in that category as there were no women’s teams at that time. I played the sport with men until I was 14 and from then on, I didn’t have many options of where to go to play. My parents were sports people all their lives and they raised my siblings and me through sport. Maybe that’s why we are a very competitive family haha.

I was always a very curious child who liked to know about everything that was going on around me. I used to ask my coaches if they were paid enough to make a living as a coach and I used to discuss with my teammates about how to improve women’s football in the country and how this would improve not only the sport but also society. I believe that my development in the sport and the values it brought with it shaped me as a person who likes challenges, preparing for them and facing them so that afterwards, whatever the outcome, I could work harder to get the best results. 

Not having many spaces to play in the football industry, I realized that those of us who were part of the ecosystem would have to create them and gradually develop them. At that time, in Mexico there wasn’t much talk about sustainability and even less in sport, so little by little I was joining ties until I got here. I remember that one of the most important issues to solve in Mexico was childhood obesity, so I took this topic to develop my final degree work in sport management, which involved the application of a schools sport program to improve children’s health. It is in this research where I realize that sport goes beyond and impacts positively in many areas in society.

Bonito: Why do you think football evokes such powerful sentiments with such a broad range of people all over the world?

Isabel: There are many reasons but, I think one of the main ones is that anyone in the world can play football even with 2 backpacks set up as goals and a bunch of sweaters tied in the shape of a ball. Having the access to play it and aspiring to make it to the big stage where you see your favorite players play on TV, creates that path from zero to professional and personal success that everyone aspires to have and there is a relation in these feelings generated in every stage of the game. 

I wouldn’t know how to measure the level of feeling of a fifth division football team going up to the next division compared to a team of 8 year olds winning a championship or a team winning their weekly game in the 95th minute or a national team winning a medal at the Olympics. I think the feeling is very similar at each stage because if there were levels, I’m sure our hearts would explode.

Bonito: Thats such a beautiful description of how the heart can be equally inspired and set ablaze at every level of football high and low. Can you tell us about the football culture like in Mexico where you grew up?

Isabel: For girls and women it was complicated. There were not many spaces to play in and not much to aspire to. You couldn’t dream of being a professional player because there was no such possibility, and even if you thought about it as a child, you reached adolescence facing a reality where many of those who played stopped playing. You also didn’t see your role models on TV and had to make do with being Rafa Marquez or Puyol or Inisesta (which isn’t bad at all haha). 

Parents didn’t want their daughters to play and not because they didn’t like the sport, but because they didn’t see the goal or the path where their daughters could grow over time and it wasn’t worth investing in it. Also, back then there was a culture where as a woman it wasn’t very cool to play football and you were criticized for that. 

I was lucky enough to have parents who supported me in anything I wanted to do as long as I was committed to the sport. In the end I had the opportunity to play in the women’s major league, the top league at the time, and got a small football scholarship at my university. But after university, everything was over. Years later I played again in Spain for 3 years in the women’s football 5th division.

Bonito: Tell us about your new project Ambassador X which you are launching- whats the idea and how did it evolve?

Isabel: AmbassadorX starts with the aim of helping the women’s football ecosystem to thrive in the best possible way. Talking to many people in the industry, I realized that there is no platform where the community can get to know the women’s football projects that are being created around the world and that there are many people who want to invest in these projects but don’t know where to start looking.

AmbassadorX is a global platform that unites leaders, companies, and enthusiasts from across the world who are dedicated to advancing women’s football. It’s a collaborative space that provides visibility to projects, ambassadors, and leaders working in diverse areas of the women’s football ecosystem. We amplify industry impact by providing a space where stakeholders can connect, create and inspire meaningful change through crowdfunding, sponsorship & Investment. 

We have just launched the Alpha version of the platform to engage with the community, get their feedback and build the best platform to support as many projects as possible and therefore support women’s football.  In this phase we will only focus on reaching out to the community, giving visibility to the projects and their ambassadors and connecting with new stakeholders. But step by step the platform will evolve to bring opportunities to these projects and little by little new features will be added.

Bonito: Thats a really cool platform, we cant wait to follow its progress!

Bonito: Your first job after moving to Spain was with the Cruyff Foundation- tell us a bit about that experience and the Cruyff Brand in Spain?

Isabel: I am a big fan of Johan’s legacy and his 14 principles. I completely identify with the values of the foundation and share the thinking he had. Working for the foundation was a dream come true, and I owe so much to the entire team I worked with. Even though it was an internship and only for a short time, it was enough to make me realize that my path should be built around the positive impact sports have on society. Being able to define this is priceless, and it’s a passion that will last a lifetime.

Recently, I had the opportunity to attend the “Open Day,” where the foundation organizes a full-day sports festival for people with disabilities. Seeing the happiness of everyone who participated filled me completely.

Bonito: Where do you see the football for good field heading in the next years?

Isabel: In the coming years, I believe football for good will grow significantly and will no longer be considered a separate topic within the industry. By this, I mean that a club’s growth strategy will no longer be divided from its Sustainability or CSR strategy; they will become one and the same. The SROI (Social Return of Investment) will become a highly valuable metric for clubs and, most importantly, for the stakeholders who support them.

A goal we should aim for as a community is for Sustainability Manager positions to disappear entirely because we should reach a point where every person in the world, in any job, makes decisions and acts sustainably. Of course, we need them now, and I would love to become one someday, but that is what we should aspire to achieve. I am someone who firmly believes that football can change the world if it is managed in an organized, correct, and positive way. Perhaps what I’m saying sounds overly ambitious, but I see it very clearly.

Bonito: What will the keys be to driving women’s football forward in the next 10 years- which partnerships will be critical to ensure equality in all aspects of the beautiful game of football?

Isabel: In the next 10 years, it will be essential to connect the development pathway with professional opportunities so that the girls who are now looking up to their role models have a space to grow within sports. We need to continue educating and training more female coaches, referees, and staff. We must create spaces for leaders who want to work in the industry. And, most importantly, we must ensure that the spirit of the community we have today does not change. Let’s protect our culture of mutual support, teamwork, and knowledge sharing. Together, let’s build the women’s football we want for the future and set aside the EGO that is beginning to knock at the door.

Bonito: Is there one colleague or organization who you have collaborated with who maybe doesn’t always get the spotlight that you would like to shine today and why?

Isabel: There are SO MANY! I cant list them all but a selected few are: 

SheWins – México by Cecilia Vales

Girls United – UK & México by Romina Calatayud

These two are doing an incredible job creating spaces for women to play and teaching coaches in Mexico. 

Women’s Soccer School Spain by Soraya Chaoui

The only 100% womens football club in Barcelona inspiring their players to work for a scholarship in the US, support the players and Staff  in mental health and train their coaches constantly for personal and professional growth.

Bonito: Isabel, thank you so much for talking to us today and congratulations on the launch!

Isabel: My pleasure and keep up the good work in supporting girls and womens football!

BIO

Name: Isabel Cabrejas Ruiz

Organization (s): AmbassadorX

Role: Founder & CEO

Favorite Football (or sport) for good organization apart from your own: SheWins, Girls United, EcoSport Pro, Sportanddev.org, Johan Cruyff Foundation, Laureus, Yunus Sports Hub, Common Goal and many others.

Favorite Football Club: Women: Barcelona FC & Chelsea FC

Dream sport for good organization that you would love to collaborate with on a project: Any organization.

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/isabel-cabrejas-ruiz

AmbassadorX Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ambassadorx.global/