SHLER KOYI

Koya – Hero Jafar is a football player at Koya Sports Club in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. She has faced many of the difficulties that women in general encounter when they wish to enter the field of sports.

Women's football in the Kurdistan Region has witnessed a growing presence in recent years, despite social challenges and limited resources and support compared to men's football. With the emergence of teams and young female players, women have gradually begun to assert their presence on the pitch, and football has become for them a space to prove talent and ambition and to break stereotypes.

Although 11-a-side women's football still faces a shortage of infrastructure and specialized teams, the experiences of Kurdish female players reflect a growing determination to continue the path and achieve a broader presence locally and internationally.

Hero Jafar says she loved sports since she was seven years old, and football occupied a large part of this love. She does not deny that the path she took to become a football player was not easy, but "everything is difficult before it becomes easy." She believes that sports and training are not merely moving muscles, but "require effort and sacrifice until you reach success."

Difficulties and Obstacles

Responsibility falls on your shoulders, this is what she confirms, because often "you may not find someone to support you, or help you, or you may be subjected to criticism," but "you must turn all these things into motivation and a goal for you, and continue achieving your dream."

Among the other difficulties she faced was the absence of a coach. "I had to train myself, wake up at six in the morning and train, and rely on myself. Certainly there were obstacles and a lack of support, so I had to make the effort myself."

She adds: "Sacrifice means that you dedicate your time to this matter, and I made my effort with love and passion, and I was able to learn new things. After that, communicating with clubs was not easy; you might be rejected by the club, or the coach might not accept you, but these things should not make you lose hope. I used to say to myself: even if I do not get support, I will continue."

Alongside football, she is a painter and photographer, and she takes pride in possessing this talent alongside football. "I work on developing my talents, not on certificates, because often you may find a person who holds a certificate but possesses no talent. True, a certificate may be necessary in some fields, but when you are a football player, who cares about your certificate? Because in that case they look at your talent, not your certificate."

However, she tried to return to studying again, but was rejected. "I left school in the fourth preparatory grade, and I wanted to return to studying, but the institutes did not accept me because of my age. They said your age is not suitable."

She also points out that when she was busy training, people would criticize her instead of encouraging her, and matters sometimes reached the point of mocking her. "I always thought that I was walking on the right path, and that is why people criticize me, because they themselves cannot do anything. Therefore, I say that sport is for everyone without discrimination between the sexes. We see women participating even in national championships, and we are not less than those champions. But I attribute this matter to the outdated customs and traditions we have; when a girl does something, no one encourages her, while the matter is different for a young man."

She confirms that "for a woman, not everything is acceptable in the eyes of society. Therefore, I ask mothers and fathers to support their daughters, not prevent them, but rather offer them support."

Absence of a Women's Football Team in the Kurdistan Region

Regarding women's football, Hero Jafar says that until now there is no 11-a-side women's football team in the Kurdistan Region, and what exists is futsal (indoor football), which she considers a major problem for female players.

This shortage pushes them to play with young men. "We are forced to play with boys in 11-a-side football teams, and this causes us some embarrassment and uncomfortable situations, but we are forced to do so. Also, when the young men see that I play well and have skill, they are amazed." She demands that the government and concerned authorities support girls' teams.