Abuja, Nigeria – Khamila Sani Ibrahim remembers growing up in Kano State in northern Nigeria, where opportunities for girls to play organised sport were limited and seeing girls on the basketball court was uncommon. When visiting her grandparents during school holidays, she had to find ways to fit basketball around family expectations. For girls who want to play, the obstacles can include limited access to courts and equipment, a shortage of coaching and funding, and fewer chances to compete.
Now, through Grassroots To Greatness (G2G), an initiative dedicated to female empowerment in sports, girls are finding opportunities to train, compete and develop their skills. Jawahir Bello, a youth sports advocate, founded the initiative after seeing how few opportunities were available to girls in the region. At tournaments, players wear custom hijabs, long sports vests and athletic tights.
You come out modest, decent and fully covered.” Although she anticipated resistance from some communities when launching female-only tournaments and community training sessions, Bello said she has been encouraged by community stakeholders who have welcomed the initiative. To mobilise participants, G2G partners directly with local grassroots coaches who already run community teams on the ground. When Ibrahim represented Kano State in a multi-state G2G tournament featuring female players from up to nine different states, she found herself in an environment unlike the male-dominated local teams she had previously played with, where girls were often underestimated.
It made us feel seen and valued.” Fatima Diouf, another young player based in Abuja, started playing basketball at her school when she was 11. She joined the G2G programme to test her skills against tougher competition. Though her team fell short of the finals, she left with lessons she says will stay with her.
I learned teamwork, confidence, discipline and how to keep improving,” Fatima told Al Jazeera. For Ibrahim, getting time on the court is still not always easy. She has had to push past self-doubt and the dismissive attitude of male peers who assumed girls could not compete at the same level.
She also struggles to balance intense training with domestic chores and schoolwork. Mansur Abdullahi, assistant coach of Nigeria’s U-20 women’s national football team, the Falconets, says grassroots coaches and organisations can help create opportunities for young athletes that larger sports structures may not reach. Before joining G2G, Ibrahim’s father had reservations about whether competitive sports would compromise family standards.
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