Female footballers in north Nigeria defy cultural barriers with resilience

In Kwara, a Muslim-majority authorities successful north-central Nigeria wherever spiritual traditions govern regular life, immoderate young women are defying taste expectations done football.

They person discovered the camaraderie, competitory spirit, and affectional travel of the sport, portion facing disapproval from those who question its appropriateness for modestly dressed women.

When 17-year-old Maryam Muhammed heads to practise astatine the Model Queens Football Academy successful Ilorin, she endures the aggravated vigor — made much challenging by her hijab and leggings — and assemblage criticism.

“They archer maine I volition not execute anything. But I judge I volition execute thing big,” she says, contempt regularly encountering taunts connected her mode to training.

Though sometimes uncomfortable, maintaining humble formal portion playing is non-negotiable for her.

“Sometimes it feels similar I privation to unfastened the hijab, but I indispensable not exposure my hair,” she explained. “I person to enactment it connected arsenic a bully Muslim.”

FIFA initially banned hijabs successful 2007 connected information grounds, resulting successful Iran’s women’s squad being excluded from a 2012 Olympic qualifier. The regularisation was eased successful 2012 and afloat lifted successful 2014. Morocco’s Nouhaila Benzina made past arsenic the archetypal hijab-wearing subordinate astatine a elder women’s World Cup successful 2023.

Kehinde Muhammed, Maryam’s mother, has weathered disapproval for supporting her daughter’s passion. “So galore radical discouraged me,” she admitted. “But I respect my children’s decisions. I enactment her and support praying for her.”

She creates customized hijabs matching squad jerseys, emphasising: “I counsel her that this is the mean mode you are expected to beryllium dressed arsenic a Muslim.”

Model Queens manager Muyhideen Abdulwahab works to alteration assemblage perceptions. “We spell retired to conscionable parents, to archer them determination are laws successful spot for humble dressing,” helium said. “Despite that, immoderate inactive accidental no.”

Nineteen-year-old squad subordinate Bashirat Omotosho balances her emotion for shot with household responsibilities. She often misses grooming to assistance her parent merchantability puff puff, a fried dough snack, astatine their roadside stall to enactment the family.

“Training is often successful the morning, but I person to beryllium here,” she explained portion serving customers, watching her teammates sometimes jog past during practice. “I cannot permission my mum — this is however I gain money.”

Titilayo Omotosho, Bashirat’s mother, initially opposed her daughter’s diversion ambitions.

“Why would a woman take football?” she questioned.

Children ticker a shot lucifer astatine a crushed successful Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria [Sodiq Adelakun/Reuters]

Omotosho’s stance softened aft her husband’s support and seeing palmy Muslim players similar Nigeria prima Asisat Oshoala. “Seeing different Muslim girls succeed, similar Asisat, encouraged america to fto her play,” she said, referencing the grounds six-time African Women’s Footballer of the Year. Oshoala, who plays without a hijab, comes from Lagos successful southwest Nigeria, wherever Islamic practices are little conservative.

According to section shot head Ambali Abdulrazak, contempt increasing interest, pistillate information remains constricted successful Ilorin.

The Nigeria Women’s Football League (NWFL) ranks among Africa’s strongest, dominated by confederate clubs from Lagos and Port Harcourt, wherever infrastructure and societal enactment are much established. Northern and cardinal regions look taste and spiritual barriers, though grassroots initiatives are expanding.

Nationwide, women’s shot is gaining popularity, driven by the nationalist team’s success, accrued sponsorships, and improvement programmes. Since 2020, NWFL viewership has accrued by 40 percent, with lucifer attendance rising 35 percent successful 2024, according to Nigerian media institution iTelemedia, which monitors assemblage trends crossed section leagues.

During a caller grooming session, Muhammed and her teammates practised connected a sandy schoolhouse transportation arsenic the prima set, their voices mingling with the muezzin’s telephone to supplication from a adjacent mosque.

On August 29, Muhammed captained the Model Queens successful a younker tourney final, which they lost. She high-fived teammates and celebrated arsenic they received runners-up medals, but aboriginal cried unsocial successful her country implicit the defeat.

Her family’s enactment and religion prolong her determination. “I truly emotion this sport. I person a passionateness for it,” she said. “Since my parents enactment me, determination is thing stopping me. Football is my dream.”