A global game on a local pitch is fostering a sense of belonging among Queensland's African community. The football Cup of Nations tournament is attracting hundreds of players since its inception, especially amongst young women, who are relishing the opportunity to compete.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00 The Queensland African Cup of Nations has players kicking goals on and off the pitch.
00:07 Starting just three years ago, participation has soared.
00:15 As girls we don't really have a lot of opportunity when it comes to soccer, especially in the
00:19 African community because a lot of our parents think soccer are not for girls, they're mostly
00:24 for boys. But we made it our mission to change that.
00:29 And change they did. Now there are five women's teams in the tournament.
00:34 It gives us an opportunity to show what we can do. We can be better than boys. I don't
00:38 know if you know, but we can be better than boys. Yeah, I love this game.
00:45 Community leaders say love for this game is also changing narratives.
00:50 It's important that we see the potential in the young people, then actually the problems
00:55 or the challenges and you can see with the numbers, the participation, the turn up, not
01:00 many events or activities can attract this large number of young people.
01:05 The Cup is also inspiring the next generation. There's a lot of youth or young boys here
01:11 that are looking up to the players, a lot of them wanting photos and wanting our jerseys
01:17 after the game. I feel like as a football player, you can
01:20 be a role model, you can be anything through football.
01:27 Bringing pride to their home countries. Being a part of this team, it's more than
01:33 just the girls itself, it's about playing for your own country as well, people back
01:38 home are even supporting you. It's like coming back home but without taking
01:42 the flight and going back home. A sense of belonging through sport.
01:49 Go, go, go!
01:51 [BLANK_AUDIO]