HER GAME TOO...WITH HAFSAH AHMED

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Saturday's game is our dedicated Her Game Too fixture, here Hafash shares her story

2025-03-07T10:00:00.000Z

HER GAME TOO...WITH HAFSAH AHMED

Saturday's game is our dedicated Her Game Too fixture, here Hafash shares her story

2025-03-07T10:00:00.000Z

Saturday's game is our dedicated Her Game Too fixture, here Hafash shares her story

Inspiring young girls to play and enjoy football means a lot to Female Football Development Coach Hafsah Ahmed, who works for the Club’s official charity Burnley FC in the Community.

However, Hafsah has the extra drive as every day she sets out to be a role model for young girls in the South Asian community, who she encourages to overcome barriers they may face, to enjoy the sport.

“I joined Burnley FC in the Community in December 2024 as a Part-time Female Football Development Coach.

“I studied Sport throughout my life, at secondary school, college, and university. I was the only South Asian girl to study sports throughout which did make me feel isolated in the beginning. I thrived through it all though as sport has always been a huge passion of mine. I wanted to show people that I can do it just like everyone else.

“I got into my role as a Part-time Female Football Development Coach as I wanted to encourage young South Asian girls that we can thrive to be the best if we want to. My main project is to increase the number of South Asian girls participating in football. This role means a lot to me as I can relate to the barriers that South Asian girls face. I want to be the support for the younger generation making it as comfortable and as fun as possible.”

So, what does a typical week look like in the role?

“My week is full of coaching sessions reaching out to girls aged between 7 and 11. I regularly go to primary schools and carry out football coaching sessions during lunchtime to encourage girls to stay active, have a go at football, develop their skills, and most of all just have fun.

“I also attend Wildcat sessions weekly which are female only sessions to develop skills further and nurture participants into confident players. We work closely with Olive High School which is an all-girls Islamic school. We run regular sessions for the girls to participate in football and develop skills. It is a fun and comfortable environment where we have worked hard to eliminate barriers and make it accessible for South Asian girls.”

In addition to the sessions, Hafsah also has an exciting football festival coming up.

“I’m due to deliver a football festival at the end of March to celebrate all the skills and techniques participants have been learning from each school I run sessions for. This will be an event for participants to really showcase their skills and show everyone how their confidence has grown when playing football. It is exciting to host this event as it will allow players to socialise with different schools and have fun.”

What does it mean to Hafsah to have females working in roles such as this at Burnley FC in the Community?

“I think it’s very important to have females working for the club/community as we are role models for the community. This encourages the younger generation to potentially study sports and get into the same field of work. There are limited role models for young females to look up to, so I think it is important that we showcase what we have and give them the opportunities that maybe we never had.”

Is being a role model and inspiring young girls an important driving factor for you?

“Yes, I think it’s important because it gives them a reason to be motivated and want to thrive to reach that target. Growing up, I never had any role models. This made me feel alone and in my own bubble for most of my life. It was hard to speak to anyone and socialise. I pushed myself because it was my passion. Thriving and getting the results I wanted is what boosted my confidence. I don’t want the younger generation to feel how I felt. I want to be the safe space and support they may need.

“The best thing about my job is being able to represent the South Asian community and show them that I am able to make a difference. I want to encourage our younger generation that they can do it and also show them the many opportunities we can give.”