Our Right To Play
“Coach X” works with GOALS Armenia and lives in the city of Goris in the Syunik region. GOALS Armenia works with over 1,000 girls aged 10-17 in 80 rural communities across Armenia. After the Armenian-Azerbaijani second war, the entire region of Syunik, including Goris, started sharing a border with Azerbaijani military forces. Formerly, the regions adjacent to Syunik were part of Nagorno Karabakh region, which was not under Azeri control. Goris hosts the greatest number of migrants from Nagorno Karabakh after the 44-day-long war in 2020.
Can you tell us about your football life?
I live in the city of Goris in the Syunik region, Armenia. I am currently working as a football coach. I have played football since I was a child. When I was a student, I always played with my friends in the yard. And for the last ten years, I have worked as a physical education teacher at school.
When I started playing football, we used to get together and play in the school field. Mostly the boys played. My father did not like the fact that I was playing football - he thought it was a sport only for men. Only my mother supported me. Later I decided to try my hand at coaching as well, as I enjoy working with children.
What does GOALS Armenia do across the country? What is special about the organisation?
GOALS supports women and girls by teaching skills that are important on the football field as well as off the field. Four years ago I became a volunteer coach in Goris. Later on, I was selected as a coach to run a new football academy with children in my community. I think GOALS is special as it gives an opportunity for girls and teenagers to discover their talent through football.
GOALS coaches work with over 1,000 girls aged 10-17 in 80 rural communities across Armenia. Mostly, GOALS coaches work with girls with disadvantaged backgrounds, such as those with low socioeconomic status or have suffered displacement, and engage them in leadership development through sports.
What did you try to show with your photos? Was there a wider meaning?
You can see my football club participants. Some of them are displaced children that sheltered in Goris after the war in Nagorno Karabakh in 2020.
What are the opportunities for women and girls in football in Armenia?
Although girls and women can play in our national football team, it is hard for girls to reach their potential through football as there is a lack of football opportunities in Armenia. Chances to sustain participation in football for girls are limited given community pressure and discouragement.
The most common example of community pressure is public gossip and rumours about the girls who choose to participate in football activities. The rumours discourage girls particularly after puberty. It is common to hear from women and men that playing football is not appropriate for a girl. Instead, they need to do more housework and support their families to become accomplished ladies ready for marriage.
What role does football play in your life and in your community?
My life is inseparable from football. Since the end of the war in 2022, football has become a way of overcoming stress and getting refugees from the conflict integrated into their community. We help a lot of students at my school in this way.
What ambitions do you have for the future?
I want to see football help all girls to become emancipated from any external pressure placed by society. I want to see my students succeed in life. I want them to access better life opportunities through football.
What do you think the future looks like for football in your community and in Armenia? What would you like to change?
I would like all parents to understand that girls also have a right to leisure and play. I would like families to encourage the healthy lifestyle development of all children, regardless of their gender. I think that thanks to our work at GOALS things are changing slowly and more people are changing their perceptions about the engagement of girls in sports.
