January 26 – Somali women’s national football team are set to make their international debut, marking a significant milestone in Somalia’s footballing history where the women’s game has been suppressed by religious beliefs.

The Ocean Queens U-17 squad will lay in the Arab U-17 tournament to be held in Jordan from March 26.

The debut of the Somali women would have been unheard of just a few years ago and where even men were once banned from playing by militants who frequently football as un-Islamic or a satanic act. Girls were prevented by their parents from playing under the cultural crackdown.

The change is in large part to the president of Somali Football Federation (SFF), Ali Abdi Mohamed’s perseverance in changing perceptions.

“We have worked tirelessly to get our women’s national team on track. It was a long and difficulty journey to persuade our community that women’s football is not a crime in the Islamic stance and is not shame as long as women dress accordingly,” Abdi Mohamed.

“We did everything in our capacity to develop women’s football, we introduced grassroots programs and provided the necessary trainings and equipment to our female footballers. This is a proud moment for me and for the entire Somali football family,” he continued.

“I am committed to making sure that our team gets the resources they need to succeed.”

Somalia now boasts dozens of women’s football clubs and the first official national football league.

“A few years back, I sat down and thought of the creation of women’s football. I knew there were many challenges, but I decided to kick start the program with awareness campaigns, because there was nothing wrong with it, but cultural barriers needed to be removed and that was our starting point,” concluded the SFF president.

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