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Photos: Cameroonian girls tackle prejudice in pursuit of football dreams

Global interest in women's soccer is growing and FIFA hopes over a billion viewers will tune in to watch the Women's World Cup in June. Cameroon's national side, known as the Indomitable Lionesses, was one of three African teams to qualify. Its star player, Gaelle Enganamouit, was the brains behind RFA the West African country's first female soccer academy which currently trains around 70 girls, most of whom come from poor backgrounds and would otherwise not be able to afford even their own soccer boots. Her own experience as a young player in Yaounde showed her that it was important for women to have their own space to train.

Updated on: May 24, 2019 5:47 PM IST

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1/12

Gaelle Dule Asheri, plays football with her friends outside her house in Yaounde, Cameroon. When Asheri first started playing soccer in the dirt streets near her home in Cameroon’s capital, she was the only girl on the informal neighbourhood teams which used stones for goal posts and kept score by chalking results on a wall. (Zohra Bensemra / REUTERS)

Updated on May 24, 2019 5:47 PM

Gaelle Dule Asheri, plays football with her friends outside her house in Yaounde, Cameroon. When Asheri first started playing soccer in the dirt streets near her home in Cameroon’s capital, she was the only girl on the informal neighbourhood teams which used stones for goal posts and kept score by chalking results on a wall. (Zohra Bensemra / REUTERS)

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Gaelle Dule Asheri, and Ida Daniela Pouadjeu, 16, sit on the grass as they speak after a friendly match with male U15 in Yaounde,. Asheri, 17, and her teammate Pouadjeu, are now among the first wave of girls being trained by professional coaches at the Rails Foot Academy (RFA) in Yaounde. It was set up in January to foster female football talent in a country where many still see the sport as a man’s game. (Zohra Bensemra / REUTERS)

Updated on May 24, 2019 5:47 PM

Gaelle Dule Asheri, and Ida Daniela Pouadjeu, 16, sit on the grass as they speak after a friendly match with male U15 in Yaounde,. Asheri, 17, and her teammate Pouadjeu, are now among the first wave of girls being trained by professional coaches at the Rails Foot Academy (RFA) in Yaounde. It was set up in January to foster female football talent in a country where many still see the sport as a man’s game. (Zohra Bensemra / REUTERS)

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A girl football player, attends a training session at the RFA field in Yaounde. “I used to train with boys, so with boys there were some exercises I was not allowed to do because I am a girl,” Asheri said, describing how she was seen as more fragile than her male counterparts. (Zohra Bensemra / REUTERS)

Updated on May 24, 2019 5:47 PM

A girl football player, attends a training session at the RFA field in Yaounde. “I used to train with boys, so with boys there were some exercises I was not allowed to do because I am a girl,” Asheri said, describing how she was seen as more fragile than her male counterparts. (Zohra Bensemra / REUTERS)

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Girl football players from U17, who are among the first wave of girls being trained by professional coaches at the RFA, attend a training session at the RFA field in Yaounde. “But reaching here (RFA) it was just another world, I was forced to do abdominal exercises, forced to do all harsh work so you reach a level where tears usually come out with sweat,” Asheri added. (Zohra Bensemra / REUTERS)

Updated on May 24, 2019 5:47 PM

Girl football players from U17, who are among the first wave of girls being trained by professional coaches at the RFA, attend a training session at the RFA field in Yaounde. “But reaching here (RFA) it was just another world, I was forced to do abdominal exercises, forced to do all harsh work so you reach a level where tears usually come out with sweat,” Asheri added. (Zohra Bensemra / REUTERS)

5/12

People sit on train tracks as they watch a friendly match between U15, a boys team and U17, a team of first wave of girls being trained by the Rails Foot Academy. The academy gets its name from the train tracks that hem the playing ground and turn into informal stands for the local spectators, who gather to watch the girls’ teams play all-male sides. (Zohra Bensemra / REUTERS)

Updated on May 24, 2019 5:47 PM

People sit on train tracks as they watch a friendly match between U15, a boys team and U17, a team of first wave of girls being trained by the Rails Foot Academy. The academy gets its name from the train tracks that hem the playing ground and turn into informal stands for the local spectators, who gather to watch the girls’ teams play all-male sides. (Zohra Bensemra / REUTERS)

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Gaelle Dule Asheri eats and talks to her mother Fouda Marie-Bernadette as she sits on her bed in Yaounde. Asheri never gave up her dream despite strong opposition from her mother who feared she would lose her daughter to a “men’s game”. (Zohra Bensemra / REUTERS)

Updated on May 24, 2019 5:47 PM

Gaelle Dule Asheri eats and talks to her mother Fouda Marie-Bernadette as she sits on her bed in Yaounde. Asheri never gave up her dream despite strong opposition from her mother who feared she would lose her daughter to a “men’s game”. (Zohra Bensemra / REUTERS)

7/12

Ida Daniela Pouadjeu, smiles as she sits on her bed. Pouadjeu is angry about people’s attitude towards female soccer players. An orphan, she was brought up by her aunt who once warned her against playing football saying she would end up sleeping with all the girls at the academy. Pouadjeu says she uses that anger every day on the pitch. “I train hard to succeed and to prove them all wrong,” she said. (Zohra Bensemra / REUTERS)

Updated on May 24, 2019 5:47 PM

Ida Daniela Pouadjeu, smiles as she sits on her bed. Pouadjeu is angry about people’s attitude towards female soccer players. An orphan, she was brought up by her aunt who once warned her against playing football saying she would end up sleeping with all the girls at the academy. Pouadjeu says she uses that anger every day on the pitch. “I train hard to succeed and to prove them all wrong,” she said. (Zohra Bensemra / REUTERS)

8/12

Gaelle Dule Asheri watches TV with her father Emmanuel in their sitting room in Yaounde. Global interest in women’s soccer is growing and FIFA hopes over a billion viewers will tune in to watch the Women’s World Cup in June. Cameroon’s national side, known as the Indomitable Lionesses, was one of three African teams to qualify. (Zohra Bensemra / REUTERS)

Updated on May 24, 2019 5:47 PM

Gaelle Dule Asheri watches TV with her father Emmanuel in their sitting room in Yaounde. Global interest in women’s soccer is growing and FIFA hopes over a billion viewers will tune in to watch the Women’s World Cup in June. Cameroon’s national side, known as the Indomitable Lionesses, was one of three African teams to qualify. (Zohra Bensemra / REUTERS)

9/12

Gaelle Enganamouit is depicted on the facade of a hairdressers' shop in Yaounde. The Indomitable Lionessess’ star player, Gaelle Enganamouit, was the brains behind RFA - the West African country’s first female soccer academy. Her own experience as a young player in Yaounde showed her that it was important for women to have their own space to train, she told FIFA in January. (Zohra Bensemra / REUTERS)

Updated on May 24, 2019 5:47 PM

Gaelle Enganamouit is depicted on the facade of a hairdressers' shop in Yaounde. The Indomitable Lionessess’ star player, Gaelle Enganamouit, was the brains behind RFA - the West African country’s first female soccer academy. Her own experience as a young player in Yaounde showed her that it was important for women to have their own space to train, she told FIFA in January. (Zohra Bensemra / REUTERS)

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The academy currently trains around 70 girls, most of whom come from poor backgrounds and would otherwise not be able to afford even their own soccer boots, said coach Emmanuel Biolo (C). “Here they have everything: coaches, jerseys, training equipment, a physiotherapist, and the guidance we give them all the time. Gaelle Enganamouit really wants these kids to be the next generation,” he said. (Zohra Bensemra / REUTERS)

Updated on May 24, 2019 5:47 PM

The academy currently trains around 70 girls, most of whom come from poor backgrounds and would otherwise not be able to afford even their own soccer boots, said coach Emmanuel Biolo (C). “Here they have everything: coaches, jerseys, training equipment, a physiotherapist, and the guidance we give them all the time. Gaelle Enganamouit really wants these kids to be the next generation,” he said. (Zohra Bensemra / REUTERS)

11/12

Gaelle Dule Asheri (L), walks with her classmates at a bilingual high school where she prepares for her final baccalaureate exams. Asheri attends the academy on Saturday mornings and after school on Wednesdays, changing out of her uniform - a belted blue knee-length dress - into her team’s matching kit. She is studying, but the dream for her and Pouadjeu is to play soccer at a professional level. (Zohra Bensemra / REUTERS)

Updated on May 24, 2019 5:47 PM

Gaelle Dule Asheri (L), walks with her classmates at a bilingual high school where she prepares for her final baccalaureate exams. Asheri attends the academy on Saturday mornings and after school on Wednesdays, changing out of her uniform - a belted blue knee-length dress - into her team’s matching kit. She is studying, but the dream for her and Pouadjeu is to play soccer at a professional level. (Zohra Bensemra / REUTERS)

12/12

Gaelle Asheri (C), during a friendly match. Both girls initially faced opposition but neither was deterred. “I’ve seen Gaelle (Enganamouit) play on TV. I’ve never missed one of her matches. She plays so well, I want to be like her,” Pouadjeu said. “I picked up the ball, I kicked it and I never looked back,” Asheri said, recalling the childhood street soccer games with her male cousins and neighbours. (Zohra Bensemra / REUTERS)

Updated on May 24, 2019 5:47 PM

Gaelle Asheri (C), during a friendly match. Both girls initially faced opposition but neither was deterred. “I’ve seen Gaelle (Enganamouit) play on TV. I’ve never missed one of her matches. She plays so well, I want to be like her,” Pouadjeu said. “I picked up the ball, I kicked it and I never looked back,” Asheri said, recalling the childhood street soccer games with her male cousins and neighbours. (Zohra Bensemra / REUTERS)

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