Girls Kick It!

Marcell Gardner meets two Ugandan players who are using football to change their lives

Soccer is known to be the most enduring sport in the world. So when a couple of young women were using the power of soccer to change their lives at the Homeless World Cup; it meant a whole new ball game when it came to the definition of strength.

When Auma Zainabu, 17 years old, and Sarah Angwech Okullu, 21 years old, gathered nervously on the grounds of the Kiwuliriza Primary School in July they never thought it would land them front row seats to Table Mountain a few months down the line.

They were participating in a Global Youth Partnership for Africa project, called “Girls Kick It”. Its aim is to empower women by allowing them to showcase their talent. However, it also became the try-out for four of the girls who would represent Uganda in the 2006 Homeless World Cup.

Selected for their soccer skills and leadership qualities, the Girls Kick It project (known as Anyira Gweyo!) uses sport to teach the girls communication skills, being a team player and showing initiative.

The youth of Uganda deal with conflict, Aids and poverty on a daily basis but this only seems to make these girls face the challenges of playing soccer in a mixed team with the greatest courage. “I have no difficulties when playing with the boys. I admire playing with them,” says Auma. She sees girls as being slower than the men when it comes to abilities on the field, but to be able to join them in a team is something she is extremely proud of.

Auma lives with her five brothers and three sisters. When she was little, all she had was her big cousins to play with, and it was then the budding star grew to love the game. She ended up learning to love more than just one sport as she succeeded in netball, volleyball and performed at district levels in athletics.

Sarah also plays netball and volleyball but has only been playing soccer for the past three years. After her father died in 1998, and rebels killed her mother in 2002, soccer helped her through the most harrowing time in her life. Left to raise her three brothers and two sisters, she has still managed to study for her A levels at school. She takes physics, chemistry, biology and fine art.

Even though Sarah’s eyes tell a journey of sadness, her smile is full of joy. “I am very happy and determined to play at the next event.” She wants to go home and start training hard so that she can become stronger and improve her skills for next year’s soccer tournaments.

Sarah’s other dream is to exchange ideas and experiences with the other players as they all face one common challenge; looking forward to a better life. “Through this we are trying to share ideas, we have the chance to talk to one another so that we can have a better life. A better home.”

Auma has her studies, boyfriend (also a student) and her three-year-old little girl, Mercy Rebecca, to go home to. Being an over-achiever, her nine subjects at school aren’t considered easy. She takes Agriculture, Mathematics, English, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Politics, Geography and Christian Religious Education. And while she continues her education she will always continue to play. “If I don’t play, I don’t feel ok. I’m very, very, very interested to play next year.”

Their team, “Gomo Tong”, is not the only mixed group in the Homeless Soccer World Cup. Last year out of 253 players five of them were girls from Australia, USA and Portugal. This year Cape Town has seen that figure more than double.

Out of 500 players in the event there are about 32 female players. Paraguay’s team is mainly made up of girls with six, Scotland have two, Slovakia three, Switzerland two and Uganda four. Other countries that have a mixed team are Austria, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Liberia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, and Sweden.

For their debut performance at this year’s Homeless World Cup, these talented, and beautiful women, are exceptionally determined and skilled on the field. They exude strength, vigour, energy and the tenacity to make it through even the roughest patches.

“It gives them hope, if we as girls can play soccer, then it also gives hope to other women in playing the game,” says Sarah, who will keep smiling no matter the obstacles that life throws at her.

Marcell Gardner