The Gambian trailblazer redefining girls’s position in male-dominated sports activities
In The Gambia, the place soccer has lengthy been thought to be a person’s recreation, one girl has not solely participated however revolutionised it.
Adama Jarju, a former defensive midfielder turned prolific striker, has defied the chances, breaking limitations and difficult societal norms to reshape the way forward for girls’s soccer within the nation.
In 2010, Jarju launched into a mission to empower girls in a sport historically dominated by males. She based her personal soccer academy, which developed into Yakarr FC, a membership whose identify, which means “hope” in Wolof, symbolises not simply the aspirations of the gamers however the broader social change Jarju sought to encourage.
By 2017, Yakarr FC had climbed from the third division to compete on the highest degree in Gambian girls’s soccer, a monumental achievement in a rustic the place girls’s sports activities usually battle to seek out visibility.
For Jarju, now 34, the creation of Yakarr FC was greater than a private achievement; it was a campaign to problem deep-rooted cultural and spiritual limitations.
“I’ve seen how cultural and religious restrictions discourage women from playing football,” she says.
“But I believe football is for everyone. If you have the passion and the opportunity, you should be able to play.”
Her willpower has led her to not solely construct a staff however to alter minds. She started by convincing sceptical mother and father to permit their daughters to play. “I knew women were being left behind in sports, and I wanted to change that. If men can play football, why not women?” she asserts with unshakable confidence.
Jarju’s relentless work culminated in organising a girls’s soccer pageant, an occasion that scouted expertise from throughout The Gambia, together with locations like Lamin, Kartong, and Gunjur, bringing collectively younger feminine gamers who would possibly in any other case have been ignored.
In 2024, Yakarr FC achieved what appeared unthinkable: successful the Women’s First Division Championship. Yet, this triumph didn’t come simply. With 40 gamers unfold throughout two groups, Yakarr A and Yakarr B, Jarju faces a sequence of relentless challenges, balancing coaching schedules, matches, participant growth, and managing the monetary pressure of an underfunded membership.
Still, her resolve stays unshaken. “I’m not competing with anyone. I’m just doing my part in the national development of the game,” she insists. “It’s about giving opportunities to young players, especially girls, to excel.”
Jarju’s affect goes far past soccer. She is deeply dedicated to enhancing the lives of underprivileged women, particularly these struggling of their schooling.
Through her mentorship program, she goals to handle instructional limitations that forestall many younger girls from reaching their full potential.
“I’ve seen many girls who struggle in school, and while few are taking education seriously, there are so many others facing barriers,” she says with compassion.
But Jarju’s work has not come with out its detractors. In a society the place girls are sometimes anticipated to satisfy conventional roles as housewives, Jarju’s pursuit of her ardour has met with criticism.
“People still tell me that women belong in the home, not in sports,” she says. “But you have to be independent. You can’t let others define your future or measure your success.”
Her journey has been a testomony to resilience, exemplifying the ability of sport to interrupt down limitations, unite communities, and supply hope to those that dare to dream.
Through her management, Jarju has not solely elevated Yakarr FC however has additionally paved the best way for future generations of feminine footballers in The Gambia.
Ebrima KB Sonko, an award-winning sports activities journalist, praises Jarju’s groundbreaking strategy to reshaping girls’s soccer in The Gambia.
“Adama’s unique combination of football and academics has inspired young women in her village of Sifoe to pursue the sport,” Sonko observes.
“Through her foundation, which covers school fees and other expenses, she has attracted many female players to her team.”
Lamin Fadera, one other award-winning sports activities journalist with Afri Radio, underscores the significance of ladies’s soccer in nationwide sports activities growth.
“Women’s football is not just an addition to the sport, it’s a crucial part of its growth,” Fadera asserts. “Their participation is helping the Gambia Football Federation achieve its goals and ensuring that football becomes a game for everyone.”
Yet, whilst Yakarr FC soars, the battle for monetary assist continues. Fadera highlights the monetary difficulties confronted by girls who personal soccer golf equipment in The Gambia, noting that the majority are pressured to juggle a number of duties and are closely reliant on private sacrifice.
“The lack of funding is a major obstacle, but despite this, they continue to contribute significantly to the progress of women’s football in The Gambia,” Fadera says.
The panorama of ladies’s soccer in The Gambia has been ceaselessly modified. Prior to the 2015 FIFA.
“Live Your Dream” initiative and the GFF pilot mission, the thought of women enjoying soccer was largely seen as taboo. But now, feminine gamers are making their mark, competing within the high divisions and even representing the nation on the nationwide staff.
With correct funding in infrastructure and coaching, significantly in higher enjoying surfaces, girls’s soccer in The Gambia has the potential to exceed expectations.
Despite the challenges, Jarju stays steadfast in her mission. “Football is not just a game; it’s a means of empowerment, a chance for girls to find their voice,” she says.
And with that, Jarju continues to encourage, proving that girls’s soccer in The Gambia is not only a dream, it’s a vivid, plain actuality.
Her story will echo within the hearts of younger women throughout the nation, proving that soccer just isn’t solely a recreation for males, however a platform the place hope, braveness, and the pursuit of goals thrive on and off the sphere.
By Adama Makasuba
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