Nadia Saeidi

I was very young when I first got interested in football. There was a time when I asked my big brother to teach me how to play football. Then, once I had managed a little training, I wanted to play football with boys in the street. When the boys saw my football, they were actually excited that a girl played football and they encouraged me a lot. In Afghanistan, it was not normally the case that girls were encouraged to play  football or other sports.

I was selected for my first match in the national under-age girls' team of Afghanistan. I wanted to fly with happiness, but I didn't know that it was the beginning of problems with family and community problems. I had two choices: I had to choose either education in school or football. With a thousand economic and social problems, I left football and went to another province in Afghanistan, but I couldn't because I was in more danger there and the province was very insecure. The people of the Taliban were scary, like women's rights did not exist at all. All the women covered themselves like a shroud so that men could not see. I had to do the same thing. I was breathing very hard. I was very disgusted with life, but I did not lose myself. We decided to come again to Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. I came to Kabul again and started playing football.

We then heard that the Taliban had taken all the provinces very easily. I didn't think it would be possible. I still hoped that the capital would not be surrendered to them, but the next day when I woke up, I heard that all of Kabul had been surrendered to the Taliban. My whole body trembled with fear. My desires and dreams were shot in front of my eyes. It was an absolute feeling of despair. We did not know what to do.

We collected all the files and certificates and burned them, and then we tried to get out of the country whatever way we could, but there was no way out. We were distraught. The airport and the people of Kabul were like zombies. Everyone was trying to escape, but were walking around with no idea as to how to get out. I then found out that our visa for Australia had arrived, and I felt like the happiest person in the world at that moment. But even with a visa, we couldn't get out easily. We had to go through thousands of fleeing people and members of the Taliban who had guns. We had to wait to find a way. Patience was tough in such a difficult situation, but we stuck together and persisted. We rested outside on the road for the night to try to go inside in the morning, and then the next day, with many difficulties and the sound of gunfire and wild looks from the Taliban, we reached the Australian military forces. We had finally done it. Now I am here, happy, comfortable, mentally and physically, with all the facilities to play football in.

I now play for the Melbourne Victory team in Australia. I wish I was born in Australia and had played my football here from when I was little. I now have the chance to live in one of the best countries in the world, Australia, and I consider myself very lucky that I reached here through my mercy. Everything is available here in terms of mental and physical peace.