The girl with the ball

JERUSALEM – Rozi Alayan is an Inter Campus Coach who trains a group of girls every Wednesday on the Beit Zafafa pitch together with Besan Ahmad. They get to have fun playing football like their brothers, cousins and male friends. Rozi’s story that we’ll tell here is one of her passion for the game which began many years ago when she peeked through her window to see the boys chasing the ball on the very same pitch where she now trains.

“Inter Campus arrived in Beit Zafafa for the first time when I was 13 and I was an assistant coach. I turned up and I was fortunate enough to be picked to link up with the coaches and start on an extraordinary adventure thanks to what I’ve already learnt and I’m still learning a lot. The experience with Inter and Inter Campus has had an enormous impact on my life, it’s made me stronger and more sure in myself, especially as a girl living in a very conservative society.

“One of the things that makes me proud of coaching with Inter Campus is that these team brings together Palestinians and Israelis despite all of the conflict in our country and they get over their differences.

“It’s incredible how football can change our lives, it’s not just a game…It makes us happy, it brings us together and represents who we are. I’m grateful to Inter Campus for giving children the right to play and for giving me the chance to help them.”