I want to be a role model for other girls

”I want to be a role model for other girls”

Meti Kebede, 17, came to Sweden four years ago.

She had never touched a football, but soon would the sport become increasingly.

the Key was to open the trainings for girls in Tumba – where all were welcome, and they talked about more than football.

the Organization of Futebol dá força in English, ”football gives strength ' – has since its inception in 2012 swelled significantly. Founder Cecilia Safaee wanted with the idea to create safe meeting places for girls and put the rights and the opportunities in focus.

Mocambiques the capital Maputo became the network's starting point – today operations in 25 countries, including Sweden. Melissa Canales, 24, started five years ago, open training sessions for girls in IFK Tumba, south of Stockholm. The open training sessions required neither notification, or prior knowledge.

"We use football as a tool," says Melissa Canales, who is one of the network's 1 200 trained leaders who work on a voluntary basis.

" Through education, you learn to deal with some difficult issues, which may not have football to do. It can be about someone who has it hard at home, or issues of bullying and low self-esteem.

in other words, a football practice come to focus on thoughts that are not related to technology or tactics, says Melissa Canales.

" I want to be the person that I wish I had had when I was younger.

" I take rather a discussion if there is a question, instead of focusing on one technique training. It is difficult to be young in society if you don't have a lot of resources around you, and important to have a person to be able to turn to, says the leader.

Never played the previous

today, The 17-year-old Meti Kebede came to Sweden from Ethiopia in 2015. It wasn't long before she discovered the open training sessions on Storvretens IP in Tumba. She had before the first practice never kicked a football before.

" the Trainings gave me the strength, they were all for me. Melissa is my idol, she is the one who built me up to who I am today, " says Meti Kebede.

She is playing left-back in Melissas law, which today, has become a seriespelande law. The squad consists of players between 14 and 18 years. At the same time, many of the team's players have now also joined the network training. Meti Kebede holding since August in our own open training sessions in cooperation with Nacka FC.

" I thought it was very important to be a leader. There are so many other girls like me who are new in the country, or who have lived here a long time but did not feel that they dare to go on the training. I want to be a role model for them, " says Meti Kebede.

She sees no end to neither the leadership or the fotbollsträningarna where all are welcome.

" I never want to stop coaching, it is a part of my life now. The Melissa did for me, I want to make for the other girls too.

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The international organisation of Futebol dá força is working to strengthen girls ' rights and opportunities through football. Today, the organization has 1 200 leaders who train 17 000 girls in football in 25 countries. In Sweden, there are 388 leaders, from Umeå in the north to Malmö in the south. Each week, practicing the almost 3,000 girls in football.

At the sports gala 2017 praised the organization and the founder, Cecilia Safaee as ”the Year peppare”.