CHENNAI: Abida, 14, is one of the grittiest forwards in the football team of the Muslim Women’s Association (MWA) School here. On the field, she is fiery, focused and an asset for the team in the over 25 matches they have played in three years. But the instant she slips out of her cleats and into the veil after practice every morning, she’s reticent, sparse with words and uncomfortable even about disclosing her second name.“Her family wouldn’t appreciate her being known for playing a sport,” says Thamimunissa Jabbar, fondly known as ‘Thamim’, the 35-year-old football coach from the city has turned patron for scores of girls like Abida, who are from orthodox Muslim families but find identity and freedom in football.For this reason, Thamim, also the PT teacher at MWA School, personally ensures that the girls wrap up practice in time for class, reach home before sundown, excel in exams and can play with the hijab on. “For most families opposed to girls playing sports, the hijab is one of the contentious issues,” says Thamim.For Abida, whose uncle is an imam, it has taken Thamim over a dozen rounds of discussions with her family to convince them of the girl’s exceptional talent and what it could do for her.“I understand this better than anyone else, because when I was striving to make a career out of football, my struggle was two-fold: to make it to the school team and make my family understand. Now, there’s nothing more validating for me than making this transition smoother for young girls from similar backgrounds,” the coach adds.Thamim was a student in Chengelpet in the 1990s when she came across her first football. In less than two years, she went on to help her team win a state-level match in Kanchipuram. “If it wasn’t for my coach, who assured my family that I had a promising future in this game, my years after class X would have been spent sitting at home waiting to get married the moment I turned 18,” she says.Her doggedness to keep playing brought one victory after another, such as the 1999 state tournament in Ooty, following which local newspapers gave her the title, ‘Lady Baichung Bhutia’. “My father had tears in his eyes when he read these reports and he said he was glad I had stood my ground. This inspired me to become a coach and mentor these girls.”For the last year, 17-year-olds Samitha Nihar and Shirien Jamekha have spent their entire pocket money commuting to school for practice every morning, because their parents haven’t come around.“To us, Thamim ma’am isn’t just a mentor, but a friend who understands the trials we face every day,” says Samitha.The MWA team has participated and won at every school level zonal, district and divisional matches they have participated in. They entered the state-level tournament held in Karaikudi last year and qualified for the super league from ten other city teams. Thamim’s heart is now set on getting the girls into the nationals. Besides packing a meal of horse gram, eggs and fruits for the girls every day, Thamim trains them in core strengthening, endurance and skill building. She has also extensively campaigned to ensure her girls can play in the uniform they believe in.“Playing with the hijab and fulllength pants has in no way deterred their performance on the field, and this only goes to show what you wear is the least decisive of factors in this sport,” she adds.

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