Stories Curated by Rebel Girls
Yoko Yoko Kameroon Jade Awanda
Growing up, every time Kameroon Jade showed up to play football she could only compete with boys. Feeling frustrated, she decided she would find a way to make girls feel more confident on the pitch and later became a coach at an organisation that reserved sports spaces for women. She now teaches girls to play football on their terms.
Yoko Yoko Kameroon Jade Awanda. French. Born: 8 August, 2003. Illustration by Taylor McManus.
Growing up, every time Kameroon Jade showed up on the pitch to play football she saw the same thing: boys. Sometimes they were nice, but there were always one or two who didn’t want her to play with them. Kameroon knew she could keep up. She knew she could sink the ball into the net if they would just pass it to her. She felt frustrated. It was discouraging to have to prove herself over and over again.
The saddest part was that she knew plenty of girls who would love to play football more often, but they weren’t comfortable with the pressure they faced from the boys. They were nervous someone would make fun of them if they messed up.
How can girls improve their skills if they can’t even practice? Kameroon thought.
“Every time you fall, get up. Cry if you need to, allow yourself to take breaks, but don't let go. Believe in your dreams.”
She decided she would find a way to make girls feel more confident playing football. Kameroon started taking lessons on how to be a coach. She signed up to coach a youth team at an organization that reserved sports spaces for women. She was excited to create an environment where anyone who wanted to play was welcome.
When they first showed up, Kameroon could tell that the girls were excited to see a field that was all theirs. But the real joy came later. One of the girls swung her leg to kick the ball, but with a whoosh her foot missed it. She cringed, but no one laughed or rolled their eyes. Kameroon encouraged her to try again. And all of the girls realized that here it was okay to make mistakes. They could learn how to play football on their terms.