The 'football is not for women' stereotype follows me everywhere, says Asmara Kiani
Asmara Kiani is a member of the National Women Football Team and is also head coach for the Total Football Youth Academy, which provides training to under-16 players. She has represented Pakistan in international games and was declared the best player of Pakistan in the 8th National Women Football Championship.
Dawn caught up with her in Islamabad to talk about the stereotypes and limits placed on women who want to play sports.
Q: How did you get into football and what challenges did you face?
A: I was active in sports generally when I was in school. I started playing football at a more organised and professional level with my club, The Young Rising Stars (YRS) formed in 2007. We have been the national champions for five years and I became the captain of YRS in 2012, a position I still hold. The stereotype that football is not a woman’s game has followed me everywhere; in a society where women are expected to perform household chores, playing football came as a surprise. This doesn’t discourage me as I know there are emotional issues and criticism and it takes a lot of mental strength to deal with a society that may disagree with your ideas and what you do. What I do helps dispel the limits placed on women and it shows that empowered women exist in sports. I believe we need to make society accept the fact that women playing football is as normal as men playing the game.