Equal Play Effect – Milestones That Move Us Forward!
By Mwanakombo Hassan
As global members and champions of the Equal Play Effect Movement, Moving The Goalposts continues to celebrate milestones that bring us closer to fair, inclusive, and transformative participation for girls and young women in football.
This month, MTG proudly celebrates two dedicated community coaches, Fathime Khamis(Coach Tibu) and Mohammed Hassan, who were recently selected to participate in a talent identification training organized by the Football Kenya Federation. The program retrained and equipped coaches from different regions with the skills required to serve as national scouts, strengthening Kenya’s ability to identify and nurture football talent at the grassroots level.
For both coaches, the training marked an important milestone in their professional journeys.
Reflecting on the experience, Coach Tibu described the opportunity as both meaningful and inspiring. She expressed deep gratitude for being part of the programme, noting that it represented a significant step forward in her growth as a coach. Being recognized and selected for such a training affirmed her commitment to developing football talent within her community.
Coach Mohammed shared similar sentiments, highlighting the value of the knowledge he gained during the training. According to him, the sessions introduced modern approaches to grassroots scouting that have transformed how he now looks at talent identification. With these new insights, he feels better prepared to scout young players in a more structured and professional way compared to his previous experience.
Beyond personal growth, both coaches believe the training will create new opportunities for girls within their communities.
Coach Tibu explained that the skills gained will strengthen her ability to conduct proper player recruitment during upcoming seasons. As a trained scout, she is committed to ensuring that talent identification in her region is conducted with integrity, transparency, and professionalism. She also emphasized the importance of maintaining follow-ups with identified players so they can receive the support they need and transition smoothly into development structures such as Centres of Excellence.
For Coach Mohammed, the training has sharpened his ability to spot potential talent early. He believes the new knowledge will allow him to identify promising players who might otherwise go unnoticed. In communities where opportunities for girls in football are still limited, he sees this as a chance to discover and nurture untapped talent, giving girls an avenue to grow through the sport.
However, the milestone also highlights a broader challenge that continues to exist within football development. This year’s Coastal training had only TWO female coaches, not any close to two thirds majority, with Coach Tibu proudly representing Kilifi County. While her achievement is a powerful reminder of what becomes possible when women access technical pathways in sport, it also reflects the persistent gender gap in coaching and leadership training.
Coach Tibu believes that addressing this gap requires greater awareness and deliberate action from sports stakeholders. She emphasized the need to encourage more women to pursue professional development opportunities in sport and to create training platforms that are welcoming and accessible to them. At the same time, she encouraged women themselves to actively seek opportunities and advocate for their participation in such programmes.
Coach Mohammed added that increasing women’s participation in introductory coaching courses could also help bridge the gap. Since many advanced trainings require coaches to hold qualifications such as CAF C licenses or higher, encouraging more women to enroll in early coaching courses would ensure a larger pool of female candidates eligible for future technical programmes.
At MTG, the vision remains clear: more girls coaching, more women scouting, and more female leaders shaping the future of Kenyan football.
We congratulate Football Kenya Federation for organizing this important training and call upon sports partners to continue opening doors for women and girls in technical development pathways. When we invest in their potential, the entire football ecosystem becomes stronger, fairer, and more impactful.
Together, we will keep pushing for equal play; on and off the pitch.