ADAMA JARJU

“I encourage young girls to believe in themselves. There are many careers in sports around the world. Find a role for you, work hard and you will feel the benefits.”

Meet Adama, a football coach from Siffoe, The Gambia. She is the founder of Yakarr Football Academy which supports girls and young women in marginalised areas to access football.

ROLE MODELS IN SPORT

“I think it’s important to have women in sports represented both in the community and the media. Young girls need role models to aspire to, they need to see them on the biggest stages and in their everyday lives.”

WOMEN AND GIRLS BELONG IN SPORT

“I want women and girls to feel they belong in sports, and if they can’t see any opportunities for themselves, they can create them. I started Yakarr Football Academy because I wanted to play football on my birthday, but there were no tournaments for women and girls where I live. Now we run a women’ and girls’ tournament every year and I run weekly sessions for girls in my community.”

DIVERSITY ON THE PITCH

“This year, our women’s team won the league. The team includes players from different cultural and religious backgrounds. In recognition of this, when we won, we made it a tradition to visit the families of all our players to show our appreciation. The families entrust us with their daughters and, despite cultural and religious barriers, allow them to play football.”