I’m so proud to win the Best Grassroots Leader award this year and hope I can continue to inspire other young girls to follow in my footsteps.
As a young Muslim woman, I have faced a lot of challenges to get to this point so it’s amazing to be recognised for both my coaching and volunteering.
The award itself is for leadership, specifically around my work with Sport at the Heart. To be honest, the whole team there deserve an award. We’ve all worked so hard to increase grassroots participation, especially among young girls from the Brent area.
I coached various football camps over the summer at Roundwood Leisure Centre and the turnout was amazing. I think that’s down to the FA’s investment and support in women’s football and also the buzz of the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
A few years ago, we’d struggle to get ten girls to the football camp each day, but over the summer we had around 100. It was always full.
A lot of the girls haven’t played much or any football and for many, it’s just a release for them. Like me, some are Muslim, but it’s a diverse group. We have lots of Africans, too, since there is a big community in Brent. The whole point of the camps – which run every half-term throughout the year – are to be as inclusive as possible.
Over the past few years, I’ve been lucky enough to get my level one and two coaching badges, but the camps are not just about passing on football skills. I want to help bring through the next generation of leaders and give them the confidence and education to follow their dreams.
I’ve also worked hard to promote football as a safe space. Away from the leisure centre itself, I’m trying to do more to ensure our public parks are football friendly. Fears around violence or drugs often stop players, especially young girls, deciding to play. It’s not just about encouraging youth participation but also winning over parents.
I think the girls trust me because they see I’m just like them, and a good leader definitely has to be relatable. I am always telling them how football saved my life and that’s really no exaggeration.
When I was a teenager, I was a problem child. My parents wanted me to wear the hijab, go to school, come home, do my homework and go to bed. I wasn’t allowed to play football, so I rebelled in most areas.
Firstly, I used to pretend to have a job, but secretly still play football. I didn’t like sneaking around, but I couldn’t abandon my passion.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT WOMEN AND GIRL’S FOOTBALLFootball was also a release. School was a struggle back then because I had big trouble with reading English. I remember in class one day my teacher asked me to read a paragraph from a book and I just couldn’t. All the other kids started laughing and I reacted by starting a fight in the classroom.
From that point onwards, my teacher took me under her wing. She gave me one-on-one tuition at lunch and talked to my mum almost every day. That was when I started to see the impact leaders can have.
I was also inspired when our school brought down a coach from Queens Park Rangers. He took me to the stadium and eventually started me on my coaching path. I went on to play for QPR as a right winger and hope to turn professional one day.
Right now, however, I am focused on university. I’m studying sports science at Loughborough and I also play for their eleven-aside and Futsal teams. I’m excited by the new Women’s Futsal Series in a few weeks.
The truth is, I still haven’t fully won over my parents, but they’re still proud of me and this award. They can see football makes me happy and that I’m contributing back to the community.
I will stay in football forever. It’s made me who I am today. And what’s amazing is there are now clear pathways into women’s football.
I couldn’t believe how many of my friends were talking about the Lionesses’ over the summer. Last year, I basically just followed Manchester United men and it was a difficult season to watch.
But now I have changed allegiance and am an Arsenal Women’s fan! I was born in the Netherlands, so it’s great to see Danielle van de Donk, Jill Roord and Vivianne Miedema in a Gunners’ shirt.
Perhaps one day I’ll play for Arsenal, but for now I’m just focused on being the best leader and role-model I can while completing my education.
I’d like to thank UEFA for another award and also the FA for their support. It’s great to know everything I do is part of a wider strategy to change football for the better and get more women involved in the process.
Find out more information about Sport at the Heart . You can also follow Fatima Hussein on Instagram and Twitter.
