More Than a Game: Bringing Young Women Together Across Borders

Sometimes an idea begins with history and grows into something capable of shaping the future. That is what the Santa Cruz Valley Historical Society hopes to accomplish with the first annual Porter Wilson Exhibition Friendship Games, scheduled for March 5 and 6, 2027, at Sahuarita High School and Walden Grove High School.

The games are expected to bring together players from Nicaragua, Key West, Rio Rico and Nogales for two days of competition, friendship and cultural exchange.

At the heart of the event is an even bigger purpose: using sports to empower the next generation of young women and create connections that cross communities and borders.

Bringing a Team From Nicaragua to Southern Arizona

One of the participating teams is a junior girls team from a remote village in Nicaragua.

Getting them here is going to take a community effort.

The Santa Cruz Valley Historical Society needs to raise approximately $9,000 to provide transportation for the Nicaraguan team so the girls can participate in the Friendship Games.

Once they arrive in Southern Arizona, local church families will help welcome the players by housing them during their stay.

It is the kind of community collaboration that can turn a sporting event into an experience these young women may remember for the rest of their lives.

Building Opportunity Before the Games Begin

The effort isn't waiting until March to make an impact.

From September 28 through October 3, Diane Berdulsen of the International Women’s Flag Football Association will work with the Town of Sahuarita Parks & Recreation to offer free clinics.

The clinics provide another opportunity to introduce girls and young women to the sport while developing skills, confidence, teamwork and leadership.

Together, the clinics and Friendship Games create something much larger than a weekend competition.

They create opportunities.

Sports, Friendship and the Next Generation of Women Leaders

The vision behind the Porter Wilson Exhibition Friendship Games is rooted in international goodwill and the belief that athletics can help young women discover what they are capable of.

A player may arrive thinking she is simply coming to play football.

She may leave with new friendships, greater confidence, exposure to another culture and a stronger understanding of herself as a leader.

The same is true for the Southern Arizona players, families and community members who will welcome these athletes.

When young people from different places meet one another on the field, they have an opportunity to discover how much they share despite the miles and borders between them.

Southern Arizona Can Help Make It Happen

For the first annual Porter Wilson Exhibition Friendship Games to become the community event organizers envision, it will take people throughout our region getting involved.

The immediate goal is raising the $9,000 needed to transport the junior girls Nicaraguan team to Southern Arizona.

There will also be opportunities for community members, organizations and businesses to support the games as plans continue to develop.

The Greater Green Valley Community Foundation believes that one of the most powerful things we can do is help people discover the organizations, projects and people working to strengthen our communities.

That is also the idea behind Shine Forward Southern Arizona: creating greater visibility for meaningful work and helping more people find ways to participate through their money, time or energy.

The Porter Wilson Exhibition Friendship Games offer all three possibilities.

And come March, when young women from Nicaragua, Key West, Rio Rico and Nogales take the field together, our community will have an opportunity to show them exactly what Southern Arizona hospitality looks like.

The first annual Porter Wilson Exhibition Friendship Games will be held March 5 and 6, 2027, at Sahuarita High School and Walden Grove High School. Additional information about donating, participating and supporting the event will be shared as it becomes available. For now you can support by visiting and donating through Shine Forward Southern AZ