Khalida Popal joins KNVB WorldCoaches in Ter Apel, The Netherlands

Khalida Popal led two clinics at the biggest Dutch asylum seekers’ centre (AZC) in Ter Apel. - Foto: KNVB Media

Khalida Popal, former captain of the Afghan national women’s football team, led two clinics at the biggest Dutch asylum seekers’ centre (AZC) in Ter Apel, in collaboration with KNVB WorldCoaches. Using sport as a tool for integration and empowerment, the clinics focused in particular on women, girls, and children with a refugee background.

Last year, Popal published her first book, the bestseller The Afghan Lionesses, about the struggle for feminism under the Taliban. She now leads the Girl Power Organization, an NGO that helps refugee women rediscover their strength through sport. In October, Popal was already in the Netherlands during the European Championship for refugee teams, the UEFA Unity Euro Cup. There, she spoke about her own experiences with the power of football in the integration of refugees and how football opened the world up for her after she fled Afghanistan.

Khalida Popal joins KNVB WorldCoaches Watch the video.

KNVB WorldCoaches Programme in Ter Apel

Through the WorldCoaches programme, the KNVB trains football coaches around the world within their own neighbourhoods. These coaches inspire and guide children both athletically and socially. In Ter Apel, a programme is running with support from the UEFA Foundation for Children, aimed at training residents of the AZC to become sports coaches and community leaders.

As part of the activities in Ter Apel, Khalida Popal delivered two active clinics as an expert in the fields of integration, sport, and women’s rights. In addition to a guest session for WorldCoaches course participants, she conducted a special sports and empowerment course for women and their children at the AZC. 

Khalida looks back positively on the clinics: “As someone who has lived the refugee experience myself and used football as a lifeline, it was a true pleasure to work with refugees in this program. After everything they have been through, seeing their strength, courage, and commitment to creating positive change in their new communities through football and life skills was incredibly inspiring. I hope they become community leaders and role models for the next generation. It reminded me why I started this journey in the first place: to use the power of the game to give others the opportunities and hope that once saved me.”

Together, we color the world orange.