Somewhere behind the athlete you’ve become and the hours of practice and the coaches who have pushed you is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back… play for her. – Mia Hamm

I have watched, admired and played side by side with brilliant lady footballers. I have long accepted the fact that I am not made to be one of them. I don’t have that ”it” factor and natural ability to become a spectacular football star.

When God poured down football skills on my generation, I think I was reading a book under my bed and I peeped outside just when the rainfall turned to a drizzle. I only got a sprinkle of it.

However lacking my natural skills are, I hold on to whatever’s splashed on me, and I play. I show up, I stick to the rules, I play fair and I try to have fun…

So much fun that I forget I’m the only girl in the field…

Meet my teammates!

We’re the FLIGHT OPS team but I prefer to call them the HOT BOYS or daddies, which most of them are. I would have called them the SIZZLING HOT BOYS but they refuse to wear pink jerseys so they deserve the lower rank. Real men wear pink.

Click on photos to enlarge.

 

Team Captain Courageous Bulldozer Defender Nasser

Whenever these two are in defense, I feel so safe – meet Shaheen and Carlos.

Super Coach!

Luis, my half-Pinoy half-Español brother. ¿Cómo está? Muy Bien. That’s where my Spanish ends.

Stef the power keeper

…who kills me when he’s not guarding his post!

I will be forever grateful to this man who introduced me to the football world of Etihad. Shaheen, you’re the real star, even if you hate my humongous glasses which properly protects my lasik-ed eyes.

Kai the kiddie fighter

The next time God sends a downpour of football skills, I’m gonna make sure my kid is out in the open. Hopefully, my mini me gets a chance to be a sought-after power kicker.

Part 2 coming next