Football is my safe place 🇸🇻 🇺🇸

When my life was at risk, I played football, and when I fled my country, I kept playing. When I face problems, I turn to football. My name is Jenny Diaz; I'm 18yrs old and a coach for The Sports Creative program FC Max Myers in Philadelphia.…

Representation Matters

Adriane de Souza works as a freelance photographer in Qatar and is originally from Brazil. As part of the GOALS program, Adriane tells her story of growing up in a football family and her project Qawiya, where she documents women in sports across…

Small Steps and New Opportunities

Collins Nil Nortey is a football coach with Generation Amazing and a former construction worker, originally from Ghana. As part of the GOALS program, Collins tells the story of growing up in Ghana, moving to Qatar for work opportunities,…

Qatari Football Culture Is Changing

Dowana Ismail Khalifa plays for the Qatar women’s national team. She is also a coach and one of the founders of Elite, a girls’ football academy. As part of the GOALS program, Dowana tells the story of her father’s support, the changes…

My Football Journey As A British Asian Woman

Mehreen Fazal grew up between Pakistan and the UK, moving to Qatar in 2020. As part of the GOALS program, Mehreen tells the story of her football journey, volunteering with refugees at the Afghan Compound, and the changes she sees taking…

Bridging The Gaps – Unity Between People

Marwa Abdalla is a student at Georgetown University, studying a BSc in Foreign Services. Her family is from Egypt, but she was brought up in Qatar. As part of the GOALS program, Marwa tells her story of connecting to Egypt through football,…

Finding a new community

Reem Al-Haddad is a Data Scientist, photographer, and filmmaker. As part of the GOALS program, Reem tells the story of her football journey and supporting the Qatari national team. *All photos featured in this article were taken by Reem Al-Haddad I…

Football is my lifelong career partner

Mariama Bukari is a student at Hamad Bin Khalifa University and the Founder of Black Strikas, a youth football club in her home country of Ghana. As part of the GOALS program, Mariama tells the story of growing up as a female footballer, creating…

A Bright Future Ahead

Mahboobeh Razavi is an Iranian football coach. As part of the GOALS program, Mahboobeh shared her story of  being the only girl playing football in her Iranian county, her coaching career in Qatar, and her ambitions for the future. *All photos…

I believe in the Power Of Football For Development

Inamul Hasan Najeem is a Workers Advocate and football coach for Generation Amazing within worker communities and works as a catering supervisor. As part of the GOALS program, he tells the story of his journey from Sri Lanka to Qatar, his coaching,…