Finally! Somalia enters the world of women’s Football!

International Women’s Day, March 8, 2024, marked a milestone in women’s football in Somalia. It was the date of the first official futsal match played by Somali women in the capital Mogadishu. Cultural barriers that once prevented women from playing any form of football have been broken down thanks to the efforts of the Somali Football Federation (SFF).

The SFF wants to create a sustainable future in Somalia and for them, women’s football is more than just a sport – it is a tool for social transformation and development. To achieve this goal, the Federation organized awareness workshops for several months to change the opinion of Somali parents who did not allow their daughters to play football.

“Our efforts have borne fruit and we will continue to organize our awareness workshops for parents and girls as well as our training programs, because it is a strategy that has produced positive results,” explained Ibtisam Yassin, head of women’s football at the SFF.

In order to increase the visibility of women’s football in society and, ultimately, in the national football landscape, the SFF strives to strengthen the confidence of young girls in this sport and in themselves under the motto “TimeForWomen’sFootball “.

The organization of the very first women’s football tournament under the theme “BEYOND BARRIERS” (” beyond the barriers“) in Somalia represented a further step in this direction and it is hoped that this will help launch a dedicated women’s league. Two groups of four teams each took part in the competition which began on October 30 and will end on November 10, 2024.

“The launch of the first-ever women’s football tournament in Somalia with the assistance of FIFA, through the COVID-19 Women’s Football Relief Fund, is another milestone in line with an important pillar of the Strategy recently released FIFA Women’s Football Plan 2024-2027: Increasing Participation,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

“Where no one wants to go, we are there!” Through football, we at FIFA are proud to give a little hope and joy to all the girls and women of Somalia. Congratulations therefore to everyone involved, as well as the Somali Football Federation, who seek to establish a sustainable future in Somalia, accepting women’s football as a branch of sport and a tool for social transformation and development. »

The President of the Somali Football Federation, Ali Abdi Mohamed, also expressed his joy and pride at the special moment. “I am more than happy to announce that today, October 30, 2024, was a historic day for us! We are launching the first women’s football tournament in Somalia, with eight teams divided into two groups. I would like to thank FIFA for allowing us to organize this tournament,” he said, stressing that this initiative is just the beginning to help Somali women become active in the international football scene.

Thanks to the assistance provided through the FIFA COVID-19 Relief Plan to which President Infantino referred, the SFF was able to further invest in women’s football and develop a strategy for this, in line with the FIFA Women’s Football Development Programs. Currently, 189 FIFA member associations have a women’s football strategy in place.

The SFF was helped in this by Doreen Nabwire, head of women’s football development at the Football Kenya Federation. Nabwire, who also shares her experiences with member associations as a FIFA women’s football expert, recently celebrated Kenya’s first appearance at a FIFA women’s tournament with her country’s U17 women’s team. Kenya presented its strategy in July 2021 and can already cite clear examples of success.

This is a path that Somalia is trying to follow. In addition to launching a dedicated women’s league and organizing regional tournaments, there are plans to increase the number of youth competitions and work more closely with schools, among other initiatives. Another area of ​​focus is the training of players, coaches and referees and the organization of coaching courses specifically aimed at women.

The SFF is confident that with investment in these areas, women’s football will continue to grow and that it will be able to achieve its goal of creating an integrated and sustainable system that will enable women and girls to get involved more in football.