海角大神

How a rugby union is helping young women get jobs and gain self-confidence

At a rugby ground in Lahore, Pakistan鈥檚 second largest city, a group of young women dressed in green shirts that read 鈥淧akistan rugby鈥� are practicing tackling. They tumble to the ground, not afraid of getting hurt. These are not just any players: They belong to the national women鈥檚 rugby team of Pakistan, and recently they returned from Brunei, where they played in the Asian Sevens tournament.

Women in Pakistan are still often judged by society when they choose to take up sports. This is especially true when it comes to rugby, a contact sport that鈥檚 considered manly, even though it remains largely unknown in Pakistan, where cricket and hockey rule. But the sport is gaining more visibility after these young women received a great deal of media attention in 2017, when they represented Pakistan internationally for the first time.聽

What most people don鈥檛 know is that the majority of these young women are from low-income families, and their sports careers have transformed their lives.聽

Although richer families in Pakistan tend to be quite liberal, few women from more privileged backgrounds choose to play sports, says Hadeel Niazi, the team鈥檚 manager.

鈥淢ostly, higher-income people don鈥檛 focus on sports. They want their girls to excel in education,鈥� she says. But she adds, 鈥淥ur girls are very talented and skilled, so they utilize these skills to earn [a living].鈥�

The has backed these young women. It pays their transportation and accommodation costs during training camps, and more important, it can help them get jobs in the sports field, says Shakeel Ahmed Malik, technical director of the union and the coach of the national women鈥檚 team.聽

Because of this, it is easy to convince even conservative families that their daughters should be allowed to join a rugby team. 鈥淚f we provide a job and an opportunity to go out of the country for exposure [to other countries], they are very interested,鈥澛爃e says.聽

Few extracurriculars

Youths from smaller towns and lower-income levels tend to be keener to play, notes Fawzi Khawaja, chairman of the Pakistan Rugby Union. 鈥淭here aren鈥檛 many extracurricular activities around for them, and given the opportunity, they gravitate towards sports,鈥� he says.

As a member of the World Rugby union, the Pakistan association is required to support women鈥檚 participation, Mr. Khawaja says. Just three years ago, though, there were no women鈥檚 or girls鈥� teams in Pakistan. Today there are 11.聽

The Pakistan Rugby Union has dedicated 40 percent of its development budget to support these girls and women.

However, according to Mr. Malik, some of the girls must fight family pressure to marry at an early age. Many women in Pakistan stop working after they get married.

Nimra Maryam, age 17, hasn鈥檛 had to deal with such issues. 鈥淚 told my family I will not get married before I have fulfilled my dreams,鈥� she says.

Originally from the Pakistani city of Muzaffargarh, she has been playing rugby for two years now. Her father has not been able to work for a while because of a back injury, and that has compelled Nimra and her siblings to get jobs.

She鈥檚 now on the rugby team for Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority and earns a salary as a professional player. 鈥淢y family has been very supportive,鈥� she says.

Nimra鈥檚 dream is to continue playing rugby and to go abroad for training.

Bushra Rasheed, a small but tough 18-year-old, got into rugby three years ago. She now plays for the Pakistan Army鈥檚 team in Rawalpindi.

At first my family didn鈥檛 support me playing rugby because it鈥檚 a very dangerous game. But slowly they started accepting it, and now they are totally fine with it,鈥� she says.

Ms. Rasheed鈥檚 father works in an office in a low-salary position cleaning, making tea, and doing other menial jobs. She has four sisters and a brother, meaning the family鈥檚 expenses are high in relation to their father鈥檚 earnings. All her siblings are still in school, so Rasheed, a professional rugby player, is the only one besides their father contributing to the family鈥檚 income.聽

鈥淚t is only because of rugby that I am helping my father now,鈥� she says proudly.

Such opportunities would have been impossible for many of these women. 鈥淸Some of the women] earn more than $1,000 a month,鈥� says Malik, the coach.聽This is a high income level in Pakistan.

Working to support herself

Irum Rathore鈥檚 father became blind in an accident before she was born, rendering him unable to work. Her mother died a few years ago. Now Ms. Rathore, who is in her mid-20s, largely supports herself, working as a swimming instructor and yoga teacher in a school 鈥� positions obtained via her participation in rugby.聽

Despite her success, she sometimes hears negative comments from her relatives. 鈥淭hey say [women] should stay at home; they should do housework,鈥� she says. Her mother鈥檚 side of the family is very conservative, and they don鈥檛 all approve of her choices. But this hasn鈥檛 deterred her: She still plays rugby and dreams of furthering her career.

Azra Farooq, who was the captain of the national team in 2017, has also been able to start supporting her family thanks to rugby.

鈥淢y mother is a housewife and my father died four years ago,鈥� she says.

Ms. Farooq, who is in her mid-20s, was always interested in sports and was able to get into university on a sports scholarship 鈥� otherwise a distant dream for a young woman from a low-income family.

Now in addition to playing rugby for the Army, she has gotten a job as a physical education teacher in a school.

Out of her five siblings, only her brother has a job, so Farooq shoulders a large responsibility in bringing food to the table.

Besides helping the women financially, rugby has improved their self-confidence.

鈥淲hen I鈥檓 going somewhere, I鈥檓 not afraid of anyone,鈥� Farooq says. 鈥淚 can go anywhere alone.鈥�

鈥淭his is an aggressive game,鈥� says Ms. Niazi, the team manager. 鈥淸In most other games], you don鈥檛 tend to touch the players because it鈥檚 a foul. It鈥檚 a physical sport, so it makes you tougher.鈥�

Rathore agrees. 鈥淚 was going to my college and someone was coming behind me. I turned and someone was there, trying to touch me,鈥� she says. Rathore grabbed the man鈥檚 hand, and after a bit of a tussle, he ran away, she says.

In a conservative, male-dominated society like Pakistan, being able to support one鈥檚 family as a young woman is enough of a confidence booster. But becoming physically strong makes these women nothing short of superwomen.

鈥淩ugby is such a tough game that it completely erases fear from your heart,鈥� Rasheed says.