Our Right To Play
Sana Mahmud, Pakistan
My name is Sana Mahmud. I am former Captain of the Pakistan National Women’s Football Team (2010-2012), and have also served as the Captain of the National Basketball Team (2016). Currently I work as Project Officer and Gender and Child Safeguarding Focal Person at Right To Play, a Canadian NGO and the global pioneer in sport for development that uses the transformative power of sport and play for social change.
Who is in the photos? Where were the photos taken?
The photos were taken at a few different locations and in the various roles that I occupy. The locations are mainly Al-Firdous Community Model School in Barakahu, Islamabad, Karachi United's football pitch in Karachi, and Total Football's academy in Ayub Park, Rawalpindi.
Some are taken at Right To Play partner schools where we have our regular football for development program - charity schools that have bare minimum facilities and that cater to the most marginalized and vulnerable communities. Some are taken at the Total Football Youth Academy, where parents enroll their children for a nominal fee. And some are taken during Right To Play training that I have conducted with coaches and youth volunteers, to teach them how Right To Play uses (modified) football to create social change.
What did you try to show with the photos? Was there any wider meaning with the photos?
I was trying to show some context with the photos. While football is a universal language, it still has a different “dialect” here in Pakistan. If you look closer you will notice the attire worn by some of the girls in the charity schools where we work, or the Abayas worn by coaches during football for development training. Even in photos with my fellow coaches, females are wearing either tights under shorts or full trousers. Wearing shorts or showing skin is still not common here, and only very few players (depending on where they may be) would wear shorts during football/sport. At the same time, I want to reiterate that I feel that’s the beauty of football the way we do it - it doesn’t matter what you wear or what you believe, you should be able to experience that power of play, because it is everyone’s right to do so.
Can you tell us about your football life?
I started playing for a club back in 2007 called the Young Rising Stars F.C. It was actually a project to develop grassroots football for girls and the club was having trials. Out of 70 or so girls I got selected and made the team, and soon after they named me captain of the team. Interestingly, the club was targeting girls from a different socio-economic backgrounds, but I just happened to find myself at the trials because I loved the sport so much and someone had told me to go check it out. Since then I have been playing with them. We played the National Championship that summer in 2007 and lost all our games - it was quite heartbreaking - but we immediately started preparing for the next year. Since then our club has become 5-time National Champions 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013, all under my Captaincy (except 2013 by which time I had gone to the United States to pursue my Masters degree through the Fulbright program).
In 2010 I was selected for the National Team training camp. I was named Captain of the team and led Pakistan to its first semi-final in the SAFF Women Championship in Bangladesh. Unfortunately we lost the semi-final, but since it was the second-ever international stint for the team, we were pretty happy with our performance. I also led the team to the second SAFF Championship in Sri Lanka in 2012. Our team did not perform as well, and it was clear that a two-year break for the National team was highly detrimental.
I spent my time in the States playing in a recreational “soccer” league and had a chance to make friends with people from across the world. As a member of the International Student Union, I helped organise a Football World Cup where we had teams sign up from different continents - interestingly, on our insistence, this was the first time women played amongst men on the same teams. While only three girls played the tournament, it was a win for us!
Unfortunately by the time I got back, the Pakistan Football Federation was suspended by FIFA - basically the politics that plagued football halted the development of the game. I still kept myself involved as much as I could. I started working for Total Football - owner/operators of local football fields, and started their Youth Academy that had over 80 registered kids in the first two months. I would also run into several young women who wanted to play football for fun, or those who missed the times when the Federation was active, and so I started recreational football for girls in my city. I started organizing tournaments with the help of different organizations (UN Women, Right To Play, Total Football, Oxfam, Serena Hotels) so there would be more chances for us to play. We, the players, were just creating opportunities ourselves because the Federation wasn’t doing anything.
So as you can tell, football is a part of my life and always will be. I now work with Right To Play and manage several different football and other sports projects that aim to teach life skills, empower children and uplift disadvantaged communities. I also occasionally volunteer with Total Football, and try to assist wherever needed. And of course, pull out the cleats every now and then to do justice to perfect football weather!
What is your favourite photo?
The photo with little girls playing football in their school uniform. I’ve been regularly visiting their school and I remember three years ago, when we started football here, the children didn’t even know what football was. They called it ‘kutball’ because that’s what they thought they heard us say. Living in absolute poverty, on the outskirts of the capital city, far from basic amenities or even a simple television, these children were completely unaware of what football was (cricket is a more popular sport in Pakistan for the masses).
But once we started, given the simple and inclusive nature of the game, the children were immediately hooked. And now, every time I visit, they’re dying to play football – whatever they understand of it, whatever little they’ve learnt. And they play with this passion and energy and always celebrate like crazy when they score a goal. The girls’ hijab (veil on their head) or their scarves and school uniform sashes are always getting in their way; but because of what they’ve been taught, they dare not take them off and put them aside, and they just play.
Are there any good stories connected with the people or teams you photographed?
Back in 2016 when I first joined Right To Play, I was asked to manage a football program where we had to first identify the most deserving and marginalized schools for our intervention. I remembered this older lady I had met years ago who had a school that fit the criteria, and the reason I remembered her was because of her unique name “Jannat ul Firdous” – it means Paradise or the Highest Heaven. I immediately called her, and even though she didn’t remember me, she was happy to meet and discuss our program. We worked with the children for a few months, engaged them in play and sport activities with specific learning outcomes and reflection discussions, and within such a short time, the impact on the children was unbelievable. They were more active, confident, and regular at school.
At the time, the Al-Firdous school (named after the founder) had no pitch or play space. The children would play in the cemented driveway, or a little cleared ground a little walk away from the school. When Mrs. Jannat saw how happy the kids were because of sports, she decided that instead of building more classrooms (which was the original plan), she would raise funds for a football pitch. And within a few months, with her own fundraising efforts and mobilizing her network, she was able to install a football pitch at the school. I personally think that’s a great win!
Such schools already have limited resources, and what little they get, they choose to spend it on children’s academics only - that being the priority - but after seeing how important sports are and how well they complement children’s development, the founder was inspired to raise funds for a ground. They now use the turf for football and other games, and occasionally even let teachers take classes (such as art) outside. To this day, Jannat ul Firdous acknowledges the uniqueness of her name, something that led me and Right To Play to her, something she named her school after, and something that has continued to remain a blessing.
What are the opportunities for female footballers in Pakistan?
Due to politicisation of the game at the national level, there are fewer opportunities for footballers in general. Now private entities and groups are emerging that wish to promote the sport. Organisations like Total Football, Karachi United Football Foundation, Leisure Leagues and numerous other grassroots organisations and clubs are working to get more people in the game. Some photos are from such an event organised by Leisure Leagues that Right To Play helped support - a women’s football tournament in Islamabad.
Why is football so important for Pakistani people?
Football is a growing sport. In the last 10 years, the sport went from being simply watched (on television with the Premier League or other leagues) to being played. It still remains a sport for the middle or upper-middle class, those who have a greater understanding and appreciation for the game (since cricket still runs deep in the veins of Pakistanis). But it is picking up pace. And once again, as a footballer myself, I find more value in the sport - it is inclusive, it requires minimal equipment and it can be played almost anywhere. That’s what our children need to keep them away from other social ills.
What does football mean to you?
I always loved football, but I never really thought I was super good at it. So I always felt I needed to work extra hard and bring my A-game at every practice session. And I guess because of that, I never really imagined I’d become Captain of the National Team. I owe all the respect I’ve received over the years to the game. It kept me grounded, it introduced me to my football family (coaches and teammates who are dear to me even today), and it brought meaning to my life. All that I’ve accomplished through football has helped make me the person I am today.
What is the future for Pakistani women's football?
When I started playing football for a club back in 2007, we barely had 6 teams enter a National level tournament. Now we have 16 or more teams, with more games, and more opportunity to learn. Compared to how I learned how to kick a ball, girls now have a better sense of the fundamentals of football, because of being introduced to it at a younger age and also from having more opportunities to play and just seeing more football. When we started, we had no idea how to kick a ball and it took us so long to learn the correct way of connecting our foot with the ball (it didn’t come naturally).
We lacked Pakistani female role models in football (or any other sport to be honest), and now girls at least have someone to look up to. Hajra Khan is amongst the most well known footballers in Pakistan with an amazing career under her belt. She inspires girls, and even parents to let their girls play. This is the future. We keep doing our part to contribute to coaching programs, events, and other football activities, and hopefully create more role models - hopefully the rest follows.
