Every
Sydney United Girls player has her own story, each one interwoven with her family and the wider community
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Shegofa Hassani is leaning up against the inside of the perimeter fence, surveying the blur of moving bodies in front of her. “She’s got a mad boot on her – best kicker in the team,” she says, pointing to one of the taller girls. She is talking about Asma Mohammad Zada, an 18-year-old winger who joined when she was 13.
Hassani – the captain – scans the group on the western Sydney pitch. “And she is the youngest,” she continues, redirecting her gaze towards Shafiqa Karimi, who is not yet 16. Another, named Zahra Mogul, receives her own sideline assessment as the “driven superstar” who works all-nighters as a disability support worker and then backs up for extra individual training sessions at 6am.