Hawa is 17 and plays in Bloomsbury Football Foundation’s Refugee & Asylum Seeker Programme. She and her family arrived in London as refugees in October 2023.
We’re celebrating Hawa’s story as a part of our ‘My game, my rules, my wins’ campaign alongside the 2025 UEFA Women’s Euro tournament – rewriting what it means to be a winner and show that more girls playing football means more winning, for everyone.
For Hawa, winning means playing football again, having travelled across the world to a new city. Read Hawa’s story in her own words:
“I’ve always been athletic. In Pakistan, my neighbours used to gather on the street and play football, and in 8th grade we started to play at school. I feel happy playing football because I feel like I’m doing something for my body. My body deserves to be cared for – football is a way for me to care for my body and stay active. I’m not being lazy in bed, I’m not recklessly scrolling TikTok – that’s why I like sport.
When we arrived in London, my brother and I did not know where to go. Money was an issue, we couldn’t even go outside or hang out. We only had the hotel Wi-Fi, which didn’t even work. I had no friends when I came to this country. You’re confined to yourself, it was like living under a rock.
I found Bloomsbury in March 2024 and I started going to the Refugee & Asylum Seeker sessions. The coaches collected us from the hotel and took us to the school to play on Tuesdays.
I met people in the same boat as me, 15-to-17-year-olds. Everyone from the hotel used to go to the session, I kid you not I made 20-to-30 friends just by going to football sessions. You’re meeting new people, you’re socialising and interacting. Imagine if I never went to football. I would have never found those great friends.
George has been such a great coach. That’s what I like about the Bloomsbury coaches. They’re very patient with you and they will always support you no matter what. I’ve become so much better than I was before because of the support and patience of the coaches.
Winning can be described in different contexts. I feel like winning is not about directly winning against someone. It’s about when you do something that makes you feel accomplished and it brings you peace. I won because I started playing football again.
I now play in the girls’ only sessions on Wednesdays too. I can be myself and I won’t be judged even in the slightest way, because every girl here is trying to learn and we can relate to the same issues. For example, if I’m on my period, that does not stop me from playing football. Football has allowed me to stay active even on my laziest days, particularly when I’m with girls.
I’m planning on joining the Bloomsbury Academy squad, and the Holiday Camps. I really want to pursue football as long as I’m in education. If I want to cope with stress at school, what am I supposed to do? Football, obviously. Football is a way of me dealing with that.”
