About the Afghan National Girls Football Team
After the Taliban were removed from power in 2001, women and girls were given a chance to receive education and participate in many activities which previously had been reserved for men. Among those activities were sports, including the world's (and Afghanistan's) most popular sport, football.
Before the Taliban took power again in August 2021, many Afghani girls and women were participating in football, both recreational and competitive. The Women's National Team appears in the FIFA World Rankings, reaching as high as 152 in the world, a remarkable achievement given the challenges women continued to face, including threats to their lives and lack of sponsorship. At the same time, girls were being given the opportunity to play and a national girls football team was formed. The girls too persevered in face of tremendous obstacles.
Since the fall of Kabul, it has been impossible for the women or girls to play in their home country. Many faced threats to their own lives and the lives of their families. Fortunately, a number of people and organizations stepped up to help evacuate the players and their families. Some of the women's team found refuge in Australia, others in the United Kingdom.
The girls team became refugees in Portugal, thanks to the generosity of the Portuguese government and people, as well as the efforts of many people to help the girls and family members to leave their home country. The effort was led by the remarkable Farkhunda Muhtaj, the captain of the National Women's Team. Farkhunda lives in Toronto, her family having moved there when she was two years old. She is a sport educator and an activist. She was able to organize two flights, one in September and the other in November 2021, that flew 200 players and family members to Lisbon. She is continuing to coach the girls and to support them.
And there are many needs. It is a devastating experience to have to leave your home country. Housing, temporary and permanent, needs to be found. The girls need to go to school, to learn Portuguese (and English), to be clothed and fed. They need soccer equipment and the team needs to be able to transport them to training facilities and games. There is so much to do. Through it all, the girls have shown tremendous resilience and positive spirit. They are worthy of our care and support.
About SoccerSpace USA
SoccerSpace was founded by Michael Karlin in 2000. Michael was born in England and lived in New York, Portugal and France before completing his education at Cambridge University. He became an English lawyer and then, in 1980, he and his wife Fiona moved to California where he was admitted to the Bar. He has practiced law in Los Angeles ever since. But far more important than his professional career was his love of football. He has played since he was five years old. In 1981, he began to volunteer as a coach in the Beverly Hills program of the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO Region 76). He mostly coached girls teams for 35 years including a Girls Under 12 team that won the AYSO National Games in 1996. He has also been a referee since 1990; he founded the AYSO Region 76 website; he was the league commissioner for four years; and he has served in many other roles in AYSO at the regional and national levels.
SoccerSpace was founded as a vehicle for field improvements and for undertaking other special projects devoted to youth soccer. It spearheaded the installation of sports lighting at Beverly Hills High School and successfully advocated for field development and improvements, including the construction of synthetic turf soccer fields at Edwin Markham Middle School in Watts.
Now, SoccerSpace is turning its attention to the Afghan National Girls Football Team. We recognize the needs and want to help meet them. Please join us and support us.