‘Education and vocational training is important to female footballers’ Alhassan Fakiha,
The era of footballers concentrating on football as their only source of livelihood is long over and footballers are keen on taken on other jobs, either pursuing their education, investing in businesses or learning a skill. Northern ladies fc defender, Alhassan Fakiha has also learned her voice in advocating for her fellow women footballers to take up something doing apart from just the football.
Speaking during Sanatu Zambang Café Experience, Fakiha, who is currently pursuing higher education at the University for Development Studies spoke on the need for women footballers to continue with their education or learn a skill that they can depend on should any unforeseen event happened to them that they can no longer play football.
For Alhassan Fakiha playing football has always been her lifelong interest and in each stage of her footballing career, she has had to fight to continue to play the beautiful game. She made mention that, her parents were not in agreement with her decision to player football in the beginning.
Her dad was of the opinion that, playing football cannot make any meaningful impact in her life. To convince her parent to allow her play football, she went to see the head coach of Kalpohin Anglican football team called A A Bawa to come and talk to her parents.
Though her parents were still not at easy, they still let her continue to train. It was now up to her to prove to them that, her choice was worth pursuing. When she joined Dahin Sheli football fc, the team did not have female footballers. The female team had been dissolve and they were in the process of rebuilding. She was their first recruit. With encouragement form the head coach to convince other ladies to join the team, she did just that and they created the ladies team.
The defining moment finally came in her career when she was chosen to play interschool during her Junior High School. This was a life changing moment for her because through that, she had admission to study in Tamale Senior High School.
Now she did not have anything to prove to her dad again because gaining admission to one of the best schools in the north meant that, football was worth playing. Her father was proud of her and he even came to watch her play in the unity games finals against her current team, northern ladies fc which she was adjourned the best defender of the tournament.
On moving to Northern Ladies to play premier leagues from Dahin Sheli Ladies, Fakiha says it is huge for her career. When Northern Ladies approached her, she was not surprised because they had been following her for three years. This move was a new challenge for her and she had to prove herself of been worthy to play in the elite games.
Before moving, Fakiha was the captain of her team, Dahin Sheli Ladies. She formed an integral part of the team and was a starter. Now moving to northern ladies meant she was just another player in the mix. She had to prove to the coach why she deserve to be part of the first 11.
As someone who is passionate about her chosen field, Fakiha decided to take matters into her own hands. She trained extra hard on her own which earned her a starting spot on the team.
