{"id":216261,"date":"2025-10-16T02:29:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T02:29:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/216261\/"},"modified":"2025-10-16T02:29:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T02:29:10","slug":"to-play-soccer-girls-in-northern-nigeria-must-kick-back-at-conservative-attitudes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/216261\/","title":{"rendered":"To play soccer, girls in northern Nigeria must kick back at conservative attitudes"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Nigeria\u2019s Muslim-majority state of Kwara, where religious traditions shape daily life, a group of girls are challenging cultural norms by playing soccer.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve embraced the game\u2019s team spirit, competitive thrill, plus the highs and lows of winning and losing, all while trying to ignore the disapproval of those who consider it unsuitable for women who choose to dress modestly.<\/p>\n

As Maryam Muhammed laces up her boots and heads to soccer training at a local school in Ilorin, she feels the sweltering heat \u2013 made worse by her hijab and leggings \u2013 as well as the scorn from some in the local community.<\/p>\n

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Maryam Muhammed plays at a soccer academy in Ilorin, Nigeria. She and her teammates, in top photo, often brush against conservative attitudes about women in sport.<\/p>\n

Maryam, 17, regularly hears taunts as she walks to her training sessions with the Model Queens Football Academy. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey tell me I won\u2019t achieve anything. But I believe I will achieve something big,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Despite the discomfort, it is important to her to cover up when she plays rather than wear shorts and a T-shirt. <\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes it feels like I want to open the hijab, but I must not expose my hair,\u201d Maryam said. \u201cI have to put it on as a good Muslim.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hijabs, which cover the head and neck, were barred by soccer\u2019s world governing body FIFA on safety grounds in 2007, a move which led to the Iranian women\u2019s team being banned from a qualifying match for the 2012 Olympics. <\/p>\n

The ban was relaxed in 2012, and the hijab fully permitted in 2014.<\/p>\n

Nouhaila Benzina of Morocco became the first player to wear a hijab at a senior women\u2019s World Cup in 2023.<\/p>\n

Model Queens coach Muyhideen Abdulwahab is trying to change perceptions. \u201cWe go out to meet parents, to tell them there are laws in place for modest dressing,\u201d he said. \u201cDespite that, some still say no.\u201d<\/p>\n

Team member Bashirat Omotosho, 19, is passionate about the sport but cannot always attend training because she has to help her mother sell puff puff, a fried dough snack, at a roadside stall in order for the family to make enough money. <\/p>\n

Sometimes team members jog past the stall as part of their training, which is frustrating for her. \u201cTraining is often in the morning, but I have to be here,\u201d she said, handing snacks to customers. \u201cI can\u2019t leave my mum \u2013 this is how I earn money.\u201d<\/p>\n

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Bashirat Omotosho, left, has to balance soccer with work at the family food stall.<\/p>\n

Her mother, Titilayo Omotosho, was initially hostile to the teenager\u2019s sporting ambition. \u201cWhy would a lady choose football?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

But after her husband gave his blessing, the mother relented. <\/p>\n

\u201cSeeing other Muslim girls succeed, like Asisat, encouraged us to let her play,\u201d she said, referring to Nigeria star Asisat Oshoala, the record six-time African Women\u2019s Footballer of the Year. Ms. Oshoala, who does not wear a hijab on the pitch, comes from Lagos, in southwest Nigeria, where Islam is less conservative.<\/p>\n

Bashirat and Maryam play before a match and follow a La Liga game from a viewing area near their homes. Soccer is an increasingly popular sport across Nigeria.<\/p>\n

Despite growing interest, female participation in soccer remains low in Ilorin, said Ambali Abdulrazak, a local football administrator.<\/p>\n

The Nigeria Women\u2019s Football League is among Africa\u2019s strongest, led by southern clubs from cities like Lagos and Port Harcourt, where infrastructure and societal support are robust. In contrast, northern and central regions face cultural and religious barriers, though grassroots efforts are expanding.<\/p>\n

Nationwide, the sport\u2019s popularity is rising, driven by the success of the national women\u2019s team, the Super Falcons, as well as increased sponsorships and grassroots programs. NWFL viewership has grown by 40 per cent since 2020, with match attendance up 35 per cent in 2024, according to Nigerian media company iTelemedia, which tracks audience trends across local leagues.<\/p>\n

As the sun dipped, Maryam and her teammates jogged across a sandy pitch at the local school during one of their training sessions, their voices rising between bursts of a muezzin\u2019s call to prayer from a nearby mosque.<\/p>\n

On Aug. 29, Maryam captained the Model Queens in a youth tournament final. They lost. At the whistle, she high-fived teammates and cheered as they received runners-up medals. Later, alone in her room, she broke down in tears over the defeat. But the support of her family and her faith have kept her going. \u201cI really love this sport. I have passion for it,\u201d she said. \u201cSince my parents support me, there is nothing stopping me. Football is my dream.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In Nigeria\u2019s Muslim-majority state of Kwara, where religious traditions shape daily life, a group of girls are challenging…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":216262,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[440],"tags":[1397,49,48,561,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-216261","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-soccer","8":"tag-appwebview","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-canada","11":"tag-soccer","12":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=216261"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216261\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/216262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=216261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=216261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=216261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}