Football is my Second Religion

Repost Article from www.femalecoachingnetwork.com and www.leicestermercury.co.uk

‘FOOTBALL IS MY SECOND RELIGION.’ MEET COACH ANNIE, THE FIRST FEMALE MUSLIM FOOTBALL COACH IN THE UK

Can she kick it? Yes she can! Annie Zaidi, of the Leicester City Centre of Excellence, tells Gemma Peplow about life as a Muslim woman in the male-dominated sporting arena of football coaching

This is Coach Annie. Annie Zaidi, to give you her full name, is a 31-year-old football coach; a Leicester City Centre of Excellence coach, in fact, for the girls’ academy players, and a youth engagement coach for the club, too. You wouldn’t think that, though, by looking at her. That’s okay, she says. Most people are surprised at what she does.

Go to most football clubs and teams across the country, and you’ll find male coaches running the show. Even for the women’s teams.

And Annie is not just a woman, but a Muslim woman. She grew up being taught about the way Muslim women should and shouldn’t behave, about the actions that might bring shame on her family.