Potiguar player debuts as a brand ambassador to boost women's participation in the sport in the country, which will host the Women's Soccer World Cup in 2027, the first in South America

When Brazil hosted the 2027 Women's Soccer World Cup, the first in South America, the Brazilian women's soccer team full-back Antonia Silva has one more reason to celebrate the growth of the sport in the country. She has just been announced as the newest ambassador for the Neoenergia Team, which, with her arrival, already brings together six athletes from

various sports.

“Signing up a partnership with Neoenergia when Brazil is chosen to host the next Women's Soccer World Cup is double happiness. I want to inspire girls, especially Northeastern girls, to play soccer to increasingly encourage the growth of women's sport in the country. With the sponsorship, I will continue with this objective of showing my achievements on and off the pitch ,” says Antonia Silva.

At 30, the full-back recalls that it was rare to see a girl play ball when she took her first steps in her career, while still on the futsal courts, in the small town of Riacho de Santana, in Rio Grande do Norte. “The way was to go out on the field with the boys. To get to where I am, there were many challenges, but I never gave up,”

she says.

She is currently a quarterback for the Spanish club Levante UD. She was also the champion of the 2022 Copa América with the Brazilian National Team, and fulfilled her dream of being drafted for the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. “Ever since I was a child, I dreamt of representing our country. Wearing the yellow-green shirt is truly a dream achieved.” , says the player who has also participated in the global women's soccer tournament She Believes Cup.

Antonia Silva is also proud to have been the only Potiguar player of the Brazilian women's soccer team at the 2023 World Cup, which reinforces her connection with the public in Rio Grande do Norte. That's where Neoenergia is present, through the Neoenergia Cosern concession company, recognized as the best electricity distributor by the Brazilian Electric Power Distribution Association (Abradee), in 2023. The company serves 1.5 million clients in the state.

“Neoenergia marked its pioneering role in women's soccer with the exclusive sponsorship of the Brazilian Women's Teams and the Neoenergia Women's Brasileirão. It is a pride to be part of Brazil's achievement to host the next Women's Soccer World Cup. It is a historic milestone that reinforces our commitment to the search for gender equality through women's sports. Now, with the arrival of Antonia to the Neoenergia Team, we have further strengthened this purpose with society”, highlights Lorenzo Perales, Marketing Director at

Neoenergia.

With the signing of the sponsorship, Antonia Silva joins the other athletes of the Neoenergia Team. They are: the Brazilian road cycling and time trial champion, Ana Vitória Magalhães, Tota; the four-time world kitesurfer champion, Bruna Kajiya; the two-time South American champion in the 3,000 meters with obstacles in the Under-23, Mirelle Leite; the open-water Olympic champion, Ana Marcela, already qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games; and the South American youth swimming champion Celine Bispo.

Lorenzo Perales adds that the proposal of the Neoenergia Team is to reaffirm the strengthening and humanization of the brand in the country, especially in its concession areas with distributors Neoenergia Brasília (DF), Neoenergia Coelba (BA), Neoenergia Cosern (RN), Neoenergia Elektro (SP/MS) and Neoenergia Pernambuco (PE). Neoenergia works to benefit the development of women's sports in the country through a partnership with the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), with the sponsorship of the Brazilian Women's National Team and the Brazilian Women's Neoenergia Championship.