Finding women playing football in South Sudan seemed like a pipe dream a few years ago. But as of now, this is a notion that is being phased out thanks to efforts of the South Sudan Football Association (SSFA) which formed 8-team women football league that is currently gaining fame in the county.
The City Review reports on how young ambitious women pursuing football dreams teamed up with SSFA to commence the maiden season that is becoming the talk of South Sudan.
In a visit to Yei, we met Sony Harriet, the first female coach in the country who led the under 20-woman national team to Algeria for the world cup qualification last year.
Harriet, who doubles up as the head coach of Yei Join Star women football club, said the emergence of the club football made her retreat to Yei to help nurture the young talents in the county.
“I feel very proud as a coach because the first time I came to Yei, I found very many girls who were interested in playing football and I have been here for three months with the girls. Now I need to work so hard so that [we] can play matches to get the best scores for Yei,’’ she said, adding she had 30 players in her books.
Her team is battling for the maiden championship title after winning a huge chunk of games. At the time of going to the press, Yei was topping the table jointly with Torit FC.
Support
With the requirement for steady cash flow to fly across the country and honour the match days, Harriet said South Sudan Football Association through the help of Foot International Federation Association have been of immense support.
“SSFA books tickets in case we are to travel and also [pays] accommodation and feeding,” she revealed.
She said they supplement this with the donation from ‘brothers and sisters in Juba who created a WhatsApp group.’
She said, “We were also surprised that when we went to play in Aweil, the boys in Yei were already there to support us so that was a big support.
“…through the support we get from the fans, we don’t want to disappoint our fans and that is the reason why you see we are very strong,”
With the support she gets comes along bigger dreams to ensure that the team reciprocates the favour with proper performance.
“I am here to prepare them to where they want to reach through the football profession and this is not because I am a coach, but I have a vision for this young girls I like inspiriting them,” she said, as she stressed that she intends to open a football academy.
Players and dreams
In Harriet’s team is her Captain, Makunga Maurine, 19, who she started football when she was a little girl in primary three but her family could not afford a football. She had to weave her way and play with her brothers and this charged her spark.
Her dream to be a football star waned as it dawned on her that there was no way she could make it with no football kits because she could not just afford them.
“When I reached primary four, I stopped playing football and I joined basketball at school because I could not pay what is required for me to play football. I was talented and I was the best player at school from P.4 to P.7,’’ she recalled.
Her education was also threatened due to lack of school fees. But luck knocked on her door she joined Senior One and the headmaster got her a sponsor who supported her all the way to Senior Six in 2019.
She was ‘supposed to be joining university on a bursary in UCU but due to COVID-19, the bursary was cancelled.
She now supports the entire family through her football career. But like her coach, she added that more needs to be done to fully support the women football.
“I would really be happy if we get some people who could support this team mostly most of us here sometimes life gets so difficult and yet our families are also expecting from you,” she said
Her teammate, Mary Dawa, hailed how football had changed her life. She encouraged more young women with talents to come to the pitch.
She said: “Talent is really a gift and with the talent I have, I don’t want to waste it and if there is someone out there with a talent please don’t sit on it.
Through sports specifically Football has exposed me in the world, through sports I have reduced stress from my family members from the burden of paying my schools and other little things that I need.”