From captaining the Somalia national team, to championing underrepresented groups at a London football club, award-winning footballer Iqra Ismail is creating space for all in the beautiful game
“I got to the point where I stopped asking for the space at the table,”said British-born Somali footballer Iqra Ismail in an interview. “I just created my own table instead.”
Aged 19, hijab wearing Ismail (pictured above) became the youngest person ever to win a Black List award, which celebrate Black excellence in English football. Six years on, she’s an established player and coach, as well as a campaigner for inclusion in the sport.
“Knowing that I am giving others space to play means the world to me,” she said. “More than scoring any goal or pinging a pass 60 yards.”
Ismail, who captained the Somalia national team and spent nearly four years as Director of Women’s Football at Hilltop Football Club in London, welcoming players from underrepresented groups including Muslim women, is now the Female Refugee Football Project Coordinator for QPR In The Community Trust. Photographed here by Sam Riley in Crystal Palace in London, the shot – called Stand a Little Less Between Me and the Sunshine – was among 200 images shortlisted for last year’s Portrait of Humanity award.
Main image: Sam Riley
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