Coaching a Girl’s Soccer Team in Africa

I started coaching a girl’s soccer team in my village as a women’s empowerment initiative that is much needed in this extremely male-dominant society, but also just to have fun playing soccer again. We play for an hour and a half 2 days/week and every time there are boys on the sideline who practically beg me to let them play. I try to say no to all of them, but sometimes it’s honestly hard to tell who is a boy and who is a girl. By law, everyone at the high school has to shave their head to cut back on lice, so everyone looks exactly alike in their matching Cameroonian #9 soccer jerseys (the jersey of Cameroon’s best soccer player, Eto'o). This also makes it difficult to learn their names, which are unusual to begin with.

Most of the girls show up to play in jellies or other plastic sandals, while others play barefoot. Occasionally, someone will have actual running shoes, but it’s rare as these are harder to clean after a day of running on the dirt field and Cameroonians must have clean shoes for some reason. I will try and post a picture of the team soon!