When she played her first game together with men, the men told them to stay at home. But the girls didn’t let that stand. They explained to them that they have the same right to play. Soccer does not belong only to men, soccer is not a man’s game. A week later, they apologized. Khadija was pleased with this success. Because women love to play football, too. Who had the right to say they could not. In Afghanistan and Iran, Khadija never thought about playing soccer. She was taught that it was a male-only sport. At the end of 2015, she moved to Austria. From a friend Khadija hears that there is an opportunity for women to play soccer. That’s how she joined Kicken ohne Grenzen. In training, workshops and further education, her self-confidence was strengthened. For her, everything was new, but thanks to soccer she got around a lot in Vienna. And now, with being able to travel, her world has become even bigger. She would like to play soccer all over the world. She has already been to Cologne and Copenhagen. A lot has changed. Khadija also no longer wears the hijab. But that has only a little […] Read More
I love soccer. I love taking pictures. I always have. Especially from people. And then there was this life-changing experience in 2009. About 12 years ago I met up with an friend in Hamburg. At that time he worked for an NGO called streetfootballworld, which use football as a catalyst to tackle social change: children’s rights , social integration, environmental protection, health and peaceful coexistence. They create a network to identify, connect and empower girls and boys across the world. My friend – who new that I love photography – asked me if I would join one of streetfootballworlds projects and capture the Football for Hope Festival in Cape Town end of 2009. This event featured a football tournament where 8 teams battled in a 5-a-side round robin competition. During the competition there will be no referees and the teams will negotiate their own rules to promote communication, understanding and respect. A few weeks later, my plane touched down at Cape Town International airport. It was December, summer in the Cape and almost 30 degrees Celsius. I was rather nervous. I had been to South Africa before, back in 1996, but I was sure that both I and the country had […] Read More
If the history of soccer had been dominated by women, Monica Santino would be on the tip of everyone’s tongue today. Not only because of her strong personality but also because of what she has achieved on the pitch. For the sports journalist and sports teacher, who is now 54 years old, soccer is her life. She sees soccer as a possible path to freedom. Since she was born, Monica fought to break out of norms and become an “anti-princess”. Her first memory, which has to do with happiness, had to do with soccer. She was still a child then. For Monica it was natural to start playing football because she was born into a family that loved football. The family gathering on Sunday consisted of going to the field in Vélez. When she got older, however, she experienced the first resistance to her wanting to play the game she loved from the same people who had urged her to play: her father and grandfather. When her body changed in puberty, it didn’t look so good when playing soccer. She was embarrassed by the looks of others and she suffered. When she grew up, playing soccer no longer fitted into the […] Read More
“I want to have a future with a good education and the freedom to do what I want.” Havere Morina When I met Hava, I got to know a smart, dedicated and passionate young woman. She wants to change the world and be a role model. She is growing up in Hodonoc in Kosovo. She had a happy childhood. When she started to play soccer, things got complicated. Where she lived, no girl played soccer. Women’s soccer was not accepted. But her love for soccer grew every day. And soon she was the only girl playing with boys from her neighborhood. She felt happy and free on the field. But as she got older, neighbors started talking about her behind her back. But her family strengthened her back. You only live once and should live your life freely they encouraged her. But suddenly her life at home became difficult. They were exposed to persecution and her family had to leave home. 2014 they arrived in Germany. A new life began for Hava. She said it felt like being born again. The beginning was not easy. But she is curious about the country she now lives in. She is ambitious. At […] Read More
Decision between Soccer and Tennis Martina is from Heilbronn. Then she also played tennis. She used to be very good in both — soccer and tennis. At one point, it turned out to be too much with both trainings and she had to decide for one of it — she chose soccer. Why? That is quite simple: “Football is a winning team; you celebrate your wins altogether. In tennis you are standing alone with everything.” Good Performance kills Prejudices Martina plays soccer for more then 19 years! She started at the age of 6. She only played with boys, no matter where — on the football ground or in unions. In the start, they didn’t take her seriously, but when they saw her kicking, they started to worship her. Performance kills prejudices! Her life theme: Live now, in the presence and make sure to be happy. Her dream for the future is to develop forward and solidify — in job and in football. Soccer helps to grow as a person Through playing soccer, Martina was able to grow as a person. She learned to stand up and keep her head up. She can aim at her targets and reach them. All that she learned on the football field. In her chest there is beating an warrior’s heart. […] Read More
Growing up sheltered The first chapter of her life began in the southern part of Germany. Pia grew up in Kochel am See. It’s close to the alps and therefore very idyllic with beautiful landscapes. In 2001 her family moved to Mosbach, where she went to school and graduated with the university-entrance diploma in 2012. Pia started academic studies in ‘media and communication sciences’ at the university in Mannheim. Because it was too stressful for her driving from Mosbach to Mannheim every day, she moved to the city she studied in. Love at second sight Pia’s older brother is 2 years older than her. He has already played football when the family still lived in Bavaria. She always accompanied him, but hasn’t played herself. Not until they’ve moved to Mosbach. Then she started with 2 other classmates, girls, to play in the minor league of the FC Mosbach. But the others soon lost interest in playing football and Pia didn’t want to play solely with boys. So, she stopped playing football until she was around 16 years old. Pia started to stand on the field again when the VfK Diedesheim formed a girls-team. To her many stops lead to the goal After Pia moved to Mannheim, she started to play for the TSV Amicitia Viernheim. In 2015 she graduated from university with her bachelor’s degree. Luckily, she got an internship at the press office of the football association in Baden. For this job […] Read More
Sporty Gen. Friederike Abt is originally from Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia. When she was about 6 years old, a friend of her introduced her to football — and her passion for life was found! Her family members played handball, for a certain time she has also tried, to be successful in both. But one day her mum told her to choose between both sports! Because it was too much time and effort to have one’s cake and eat it, too. So, Rike stopped playing handball when she was 7 years old. From this decision on, the football goal started to be her second home on the field.” What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger! This was the mental part of the situation she was in: Football sport has always been a masculine domain. So, due to the lack of girls, she had to play with boys since she started with football. At the beginning it was hard from time to time, but it gradually led her to a state of mind in which she felt quite empowered. She developed strength and learned to assert herself. Shaping Facts. And there were also the physical components: She had to deal with the embodied […] Read More
Women were once silenced in Lebanon. But since the October revolution 2019 it changed. They are fed up with their spot on the sidelines. They are on the frontlines now, demanding their rights. They want to rewrite their own stories in hopes of a better Lebanon for their future female generations. And involving women in sports is a small step for better conditions and equality for women in Lebanon, but it is a clever way to start changing society. Northern Lebanon is a region that is significantly influenced by the Syrian conflict. The region is characterized by high unemployment rates, religious diversity, and high drug abuse. It is extremely important to support and empower girls and women in this particular region. Women’s rights are often overlooked and neglected when communities experience a crisis or undergo a sudden change process, but it is exactly in these times when it is most necessary to advocate for women’s rights and to empower women in the community. DISCOVER FOOTBALL is partnering with GIZ Local Development Programme for Urban Areas in North Lebanon (UDP_NL) to help to strengthen Northern Lebanon. The overall objective of the project is to increase gender equality by supporting and strengthening […] Read More
If someone had told me that I was going to play football almost 2 months ago, I would have just shake my head and laughed. And then as a goalie. A thing of impossibility. I was a passionate handball player. Football never crossed my mind, because around the corner where I lived, there was simply no possibility. Football became in particular important to me in 2009, when I discovered the power of sport in the context of social change. Behind the camera. But the sport simply pulls you along. You can’t escape it. And so it came to pass that on 30 June I also played in a Guinness World Record football game as a goalkeeper for the first time in my life. After almost working through two days as a photographer, my goal was actually to play 10 minutes only. 1 hour became it finally. And in fact, you get intoxicated. Since 2017 I’m supporting Equal Playing Field (EPF). Together we challenge gender inequality in sport and promote development for girls and women globally. We believe in a world where they are treated equally and are given the respect they deserve. We fight for opportunity, equality and respect in […] Read More