Mariam Mapenzi, 24, is a silent powerhouse. From humble beginnings in Vitengeni, Ganze Constituency, most families rely solely on subsistence farming for survival. Parents compel most teenagers in her community to early marriage to escape poverty. Very little value is placed on education for girls.

But for Mariam, from a young age, she knew she wanted more than what her immediate environment offered. At ten years old, she registered to join the Moving the Goalposts (MTG) football leagues in her rural home area. She heard about MTG through a friend in school who told her about the organisation which empowers girls through football.

"I was passionate about football and jumped at the opportunity as soon as I heard about it." Mariam states.

Mariam would also engage in pre-game peer education discussions on the football field on leadership, sexual reproductive and mental health, and girls' rights.

Through the league games, MTG also runs leadership and health discussions to sensitise girls and young women on their rights and various issues complimenting football. Girls within the program serve as peer educators, and team members in the minor league games played in fields across the diverse community and school football fields. The programs run across four Kenyan coastal counties of Kilifi, Kwale, Mombasa and Tana River.

At the age of 12, Mariam's football skills were noticed by the MTG Sports Academy Youth League, and she was promoted to the MTG United Under 13s football team.

In 2014, she was part of the winning team that led the MTG United Under 13s team to victory in the East Africa Cup Under 13s football tournament in Moshi, Tanzania.

"It was so exciting. It was my first time in Tanzania, and winning in a cooler environment than what we were used to was unexpected. Some players we saw were older than they said, but we beat them." Mariam chuckles.

On Mariam's return home, things started to look up for her. Seeing her name plastered in newspapers and the team the talk of the town for their win got her noticed. Her talent saw her receive a full scholarship for her high school education at Waa Girls in a neighbouring coastal town of Kwale through MTG.

As Mariam works to further her education, she is grateful for the allowance of KES 1,000 she receives as an MTG United player during the football season. The money keeps her going between seasonal work as a decorator with an events company based in Kilifi Town, Coastal Kenya.

But even as she seeks to raise her university tuition fees, she has been fortunate to get a taste of an international football career through her constant involvement at the MTG Sports Academy.

Mariam was part of the five-aside Kenyan football team that participated in the 2017 Global Goals World Cup in New York, US and won. The Global Goals World Cup is an annual five-aside football tournament for all-women teams. The teams that qualify to play choose one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to champion as a cause as they play.

Mariam was also part of only 40 selected youth leaders from across the globe shortlisted to attend the 2022 Young Leaders Summit in Manchester City. A renowned English Premiere League team holds the annual Summit. The Summit recognises and celebrates young leaders from across the globe who use football to promote health rights in their communities. Mariam received an outstanding leadership award for her work as a youth volunteer in MTG as a peer educator.

"During the football tournaments, we would play during the Summit. People kept telling me that I was talented. Unfortunately, there weren't any scouts during our stay there, but I know if they were, I would have been scouted to play football abroad." Mariam observes.

Mariam would love to play for Manchester City's Women's Football Club, a Premiere League team in the UK.

"I have been there; I know the facilities, and I like the atmosphere; it would be a good fit." She enthuses. "If we can kick corruption out of Kenyan football, we will go very far. There is so much good talent in the country."

Mariam is a huge advocate for more investment in the sport. She credits MTG United's Senior team's recent big win in the national minor football league tournament graduating to the Kenya Women's Premiere League, to the efforts of building football teams from the grassroots.

"We could win because we had chemistry not built from a few months but since we were children in primary school. We know and understand each other and the collective goal to win." She concludes.