The opportunity to earn an education and play soccer at Barry University drew Maya Ozery to the United States from her native Israel. Even so, it was hard for her to ignore the potential and promise of women’s sports in her home country. That conviction propelled Ozery to the forefront of an extraordinary effort that has altered the course of women’s sports in Israel.

Ozery was frustrated with the lack of progress and attention for the eight-team national league.

“After a few years, it wasn’t doing anything,” said Ozery, a participant since age 15. “It didn’t seem like anyone was trying to develop it into more than it was. I felt like there was no reason for the sport not to develop and be part of Israel’s sports landscape.”

Ozery took matters into her own hands by rallying players to approach members of the Israeli parliament, lawyers and other organizations demanding equal opportunity for girls and women – not just in soccer, but in all sports. They also organized protests in front of parliament and distributed newsletters explaining their position. True progress, however, came only after two influential women’s organizations suggested a law that encouraged the participation of women.

League teams filed a request with the Israeli parliament for equal rights. Although the request was made on behalf of women’s soccer, it wasn’t specific to the sport.

“It wasn’t just about soccer,” Ozery said, “at least in my eyes. That’s why I felt the battle was so big. It was much more about giving equal opportunity to women and girls to play sports and have an equal chance to have something that, unfortunately up until that point, wasn’t common.”

At the end of almost two years, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled for the women and required that women’s sports in Israel receive a percentage of any money awarded to sports programs. In addition, women’s sports were awarded 8 million shekels (about $2 million in U.S. dollars).

Although the senior psychology major believes the dividends generated by the achievement will accrue over time, she envisions a quick increase in the number of Israeli girls and women populating courts and fields.

“This was not about us, but about girls who are going to start playing when they are 7 or 8,” she said. “My generation isn’t going to benefit from this fight, but it’s definitely for the future of women’s athletics.”