| It is a windy day at a hard-packed sandy field near the seaside village of Ngor, on the outskirts of Dakar. Maam Samba Guèye runs herself through drills on the sidelines as the men's team practices on the field. Her practice ended an hour earlier. The enthusiastic 22-year-old midfielder says she has always been and continues to be dedicated to her sport, even in the face of her father's disapproval. "My mother always supported me so I could play soccer. But my father, well, he refuses. He always says that girls do not play ball," she said. Her coach, Djibril Guèye, says unfortunately such attitudes in Senegal are not rare. "Almost all the girls have the same problem. People do not want girls to go to the field. But there are some who are understanding, and girl's soccer is developing here," he said. Female soccer has recently developed in Africa, with major international tournaments attracting lots of media attention. The Ngor women's team is training for the women's national Senegalese championship, where they will play against star Senegalese teams like the Gazelles and the Eagles. Few members of the team, who range in age from 15 to their early twenties, are in school. |
