Key Points
- Roxburgh Park United FC has multiple female teams sourced from local Iraqi families.
- A winning coach says some families remain reluctant to allow their daughters to play soccer.
- One player was recently selected for the FV Emerging Matildas.
Roxburgh Park United FC has been actively training and fielding teams with girls from the Iraqi community for eight years.
The club, based in northern Melbourne, has multiple women's and men's teams competing in various age categories, but coach Basim Rasho says he is most proud of the under-18 women's team that won Victoria's Women's State League 4 in 2022.
Mr Rasho arrived in Australia in 2004, having previously played football with an Iraqi Army team.
Eman Kamoura, the club's welcoming officer, told SBS Arabic24 that allowing girls as young as 12 to participate in soccer had been a struggle at first for the Iraqi community of northern Melbourne.
“The majority of our female players come from Iraqi backgrounds; only three come from other backgrounds,” she said.
Mr Rasho said that in spite of the fact that Iraqis loved soccer and played it as their major game back home, most families still "consider it a man's sport".
"My girls, in the team, are skilled and ambitious to play for the nation's most (renowned) team, the Matildas," he said.
As an example, Danella Butrus, 16, was recently selected for the Football Victoria Emerging Matildas and has so far scored 17 goals for them this season, he said.
Prior to her selection in the national side, Ms Butrus scored 117 goals in official matches in the 2021-22 season and was one of the club's best performers, Mr Rasho said.
Danella Butrus, 16, was recently selected for the FV Emerging Matildas.
Open Day was a breakthrough
"One of the biggest issues we face is some families' reactions because of traditions," Mr Rasho said.
"Almost all of our players are from Iraqi families who believe (young) girls should not play soccer and should instead find a job and/or study.
In many cases, club management and myself have (stepped in to) persuade families not to ask their daughters to withdraw, but most of our attempts fail.Basim Rasho
"Ultimately, it comes down to the player and her parents."
Ms Kamoura said parents living in nearby neighbourhoods were not convinced to register their daughters in 2016 and 2017 until club management had invited them to visit the club and meet the coach at an Open Day.
"I myself was encouraged to register my daughter back then and found soccer to be enjoyable," she said.
As time went on, she said she became increasingly involved in the club.
"It was at that time that I began travelling with the girls' teams and supporting them on away trips," she said.
As the mother of a young player, I began urging other parents to follow my example and let their daughters join the club.Eman Kamoura
She is now the club's welcoming officer, and said one of her proudest moments was when the under-13 girls' team was formed in 2017.
Currently, there are 24 teams and 500 players, both men's and women's, at Roxburgh Park United FC. In addition, there are 300 people on waiting lists to join teams.
As champions of Victoria's Women's State League 4 last year, “my under-18 girls' team represented a serious challenge for clubs with histories that span many decades," Mr Rasho said.
Having joined the club just months after the first under-13 girls' team was formed, Mr Rasho said he had developed basic skills such as passing, possession and positioning.
'Passion' for soccer
The players' passion for soccer is unrivalled, and some even took on coaching responsibilities, the coach reports.
Roxburgh Park United FC coach Basim Rasho.
She credits her father with instilling in her a love of soccer.
Since my father was a big soccer fan, he was always watching soccer, talking about soccer, so I picked it up from him.Shamiran Rashto
According to Mr Rasho, Shamiran was "a real support to the team" as a player and assistant coach.
In the under-18 team, the cooperation between Mr Rasho and his daughter has produced many achievements.
