In Pictures

FIFA World Cup: The Cameroonian girls who dream of football

The first wave of girls are being trained at the West African country’s first female football academy.

Emmanuel Eteme Biolo, a girls'' U17 team coach, talks with his team during half-time of the match at the Rail Foot Academy field in Yaounde, Cameroon, May 4, 2019. The academy currently trains around 7 — Emmanuel Eteme Biolo, a girls' U17 team coach, talks with his team during half-time of a match at the Rails Foot Academy field in Yaounde. The academy currently trains around 70 girls, most of whom come from poor backgrounds and would otherwise not be able to afford even their own football boots. [Zohra Bensemra/Reuters]

When Gaelle Asheri first started playing football in the dirt streets near her home in Yaounde, Cameroon’s capital, she was the only girl on the informal neighbourhood teams.

The children played using stones for goalposts and kept score by chalking results on a wall.

Asheri, 17, and her teammate Ida Pouadjeu, 16, are now among the first wave of girls being trained by professional coaches at the Rails Foot Academy (RFA), Cameroon’s first female football academy in Yaounde. It was set up in January to foster female football talent in a country where many still see the sport as a man’s game.

Both girls initially faced opposition from family members who were worried that the sport was unfeminine. But neither have been deterred by such prejudice.

“I picked up the ball, I kicked it and I never looked back,” Asheri said, recalling the childhood street football games with her male cousins and neighbours.

“I used to train with boys, so with boys, there were some exercises I was not allowed to do because I am a girl,” Asheri said, describing how she was seen as more fragile than her male counterparts.

“But reaching here it was just another world, I was forced to do abdominal exercises, forced to do all harsh work so you reach a level where tears usually come out with sweat.”

Global interest in women’s football is growing and FIFA hopes over a billion viewers will tune in to watch the Women’s World Cup in June. Cameroon’s national side, known as the Indomitable Lionesses, was one of three African teams to qualify.

Its star player, Gaelle Enganamouit, was the brains behind RFA. Her experience as a young player in Yaounde showed her it was important for women to have their own space to train, she told FIFA in January.

The academy currently trains around 70 girls, most of whom come from poor backgrounds and would otherwise not be able to afford even their football boots, said coach Emmanuel Biolo.

“Here they have everything: coaches, jerseys, training equipment, a physiotherapist, and the guidance we give them all the time. Gaelle Enganamouit really wants these kids to be the next generation,” he said.

Asheri attends the academy on Saturday mornings and after school on Wednesdays. She is studying for her final baccalaureate exams, but the dream for her and Pouadjeu is to play football at a professional level like their benefactor.

“I’ve seen Gaelle [Enganamouit] play on TV. I’ve never missed one of her matches. She plays so well, I want to be like her,” Pouadjeu said.

People sit on train tracks as they watch a friendly match between U15, a boys team and U17, a team of first wave of girls being trained by professional coaches of the Rails Foot Academy (RFA), at the — People watch a friendly match between a U15 boys team and a U17 girls team. Gaelle Enganamouit, the star player of Cameroon's team, the Indomitable Lionesses - one of three African teams to qualify for the Women's World Cup in June - was the brains behind RFA - the West African country's first female soccer academy. [Zohra Bensemra/Reuters]

Gaelle Dule Asheri (2nd L), 17, a soccer player, who is amongst the first wave of girls being trained by professional coaches at the Rails Foot Academy, talks to her classmates at a bilingual high sch — Gaelle Dule Asheri, second left, 17, is among the first wave of girls being trained by professional coaches at the RFA. Asheri never gave up her dream despite strong opposition from her mother who feared she would lose her daughter to a 'men's game'. [Zohra Bensemra/Reuters]

Gaelle Dule Asheri (C), 17, a soccer player, who is amongst the first wave of girls being trained by professional coaches at the Rails Foot Academy (RFA), challenges U15 team players during their frie — Global interest in women’s football is growing and FIFA hopes over a billion viewers will tune in to watch the Women’s World Cup in June. [Zohra Bensemra/Reuters]

Gaelle Enganamouit, the founder of Rails Foot Academy (RFA), is depicted on the facade of a hairdressers'' shop in Yaounde, Cameroon, May 2, 2019. Enganamouit, the star player of Cameroon''s team known — Gaelle Enganamouit, the founder of the RFA, is depicted on the facade of a hairdressers' shop in Yaounde. Her own experience as a young player in Yaounde showed her that it was important for women to have their own space to train, she told FIFA in January. [Zohra Bensemra/Reuters]

Gaelle Dule Asheri, 17, a soccer player, who is amongst the first wave of girls being trained by professional coaches at the Rails Foot Academy, plays football with her friends outside her house in Ya — Gaelle plays football with her friends outside her house. 'I used to train with boys, so with boys, there were some exercises I was not allowed to do because I am a girl,' she said. [Zohra Bensemra/Reuters]

Ida Daniela Pouadjeu, 16, a soccer player who is amongst the first wave of girls being trained by professional coaches at the Rails Foot Academy, smiles as she sits on her bed in Yaounde, Cameroon, Ma — Ida Pouadjeu, 16, a football player at the RFA, is angry about people's attitude towards female football players. An orphan, she was brought up by her aunt who once warned her against playing football saying she would end up sleeping with all the girls at the academy. [Zohra Bensemra/Reuters]

A girl soccer player who is amongst the first wave of girls being trained by professional coaches at the Rails Foot Academy (RFA), attends a training session at the RFA field in Yaounde, Cameroon, May — Pouadjeu says she uses that anger every day on the pitch. 'I train hard to succeed and to prove them all wrong,' she said. 'I've seen Gaelle (Enganamouit) play on TV. I've never missed one of her matches. She plays so well, I want to be like her.' [Zohra Bensemra/Reuters]

Gaelle Dule Asheri, 17, a soccer player, who is amongst the first wave of girls being trained by professional coaches at the Rails Foot Academy (RFA), attends a training session of the female U17 team — The academy was set up in January 2019 to foster female soccer talent in a country where many still see the sport as a man's game. [Zohra Bensemra/Reuters]