Once there was a girl who ran so much that her mother nicknamed her “horse.” When Jawahir was a kid, she and her eight brothers were always playing football. They played in the garden, they played in the front yard, they even played in the house!

When she grew up, JJ decided to build her career around football. She became the first Muslim woman referee in the U.K.. Then, one day, JJ noticed her seven nieces were bursting with energy—they needed an outlet. She thought back to her days of playing football with her brothers and saw another opportunity to stay involved in football: she’d become their coach.

At their first practice, JJ started with the basics. She showed the girls what part of their feet to kick with and she cheered them on as they sprinted up and down the field. JJ guided the seven smiling girls through drills, encouraging her nieces to run a little bit faster and kick a little bit harder. It felt just like her childhood.

“You're the best friend you've ever had. You are the best, and if you work hard enough, your dreams will come true one day.”

When JJ showed up for their next practice, she was greeted by more kids than just her own nieces! A whole group of little girls were waiting for her, eager to learn from Coach JJ. Her players loved their time together so much that JJ’s team quickly grew to include most of the kids in their neighborhood.

JJ dreams of seeing her team grow as both people and players, but her goals don’t stop there. She wants to see a whole league spring up around her team, with players from all over the country. “I want to help more girls get into the game. They don’t have to be footballers but there is so much else to achieve. Impossible is nothing.”