Medine Mamedoğlu\JINHA

AMED – Young Women’s Team affiliated with Muş Kartalspor, one of teams of Turkey Women's Third Football League, players say the most important thing for them is to make happy people not to win, “We, as women, play football to be unity not to defeat other teams.”

In recently years, women’s interest in sports has been increasing in Kürdistan. Women have showed great interest in football owing to teams, which have compete in second and third leagues such as Amedspor, Van Büyükşehir, 1955 Batman Belediyespor, Hakkâri and Muş. Women have broken the male perception by making teams in football, volleyball and basketball. They play in order to show sport means friendship and fraternity.

One part of Turkey Young Women's Championship took place in Diyarbakır. One of five teams in the championship was Muş Kartalspor Young Women’s Team. The players said that they play football to show the unity of the sport not to win the matches.

One of players of the Muş Kartalspor Stars Women's Team Betül Buldan said, “Everybody wants to win, of course we want to win, too. But we don’t play to have scores; we play to show the football morality to all people.”

Betül said that Muş has two women’s teams although there aren’t opportunities for women in the sport. She said, “We live in villages, women haven’t been allowed to go school in villages. But, our families allow us to play football; we are grateful to them for their support. All families should encourage their children to play football.”

Another player Şüheda Alkan said, “I have played football since I was child. I want to be a model to children by standing on my legs and playing football. We, as women, play football to be unity not to defeat other teams.”

(fk/gd)