The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs SportsUnited office is bringing a delegation of soccer-playing girls and their coaches from Pakistan to the Washington, DC area to experience women's soccer in the United States from April 6-18. The ten girls, ages 12-21, and three coaches are from the cities Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
The girls and coaches are all members of the “Young Rising Stars Female Football Club”, a group organized by the U.S. Embassy in Pakistan as part of a 2007 State Department Youth Enrichment Program (YEP). This visit will build upon their YEP experience by coaching the girls in new soccer skills during clinics at local high schools, soccer clubs and universities. The program also will provide guidance about nutrition and fitness, and promote team building. While soccer is not a common sport for girls in Pakistan, this group is committed to the Young Rising Stars Club. Since its inception, the club team has played in many tournaments in Pakistan and won the first All-Pakistan Inter-Club Women’s Football Tournament in August 2008.
The girls also will learn about Title IX and have an opportunity to attend a game of the new Women’s Professional Soccer league that features the best women soccer players from America and around the world.
For more information, please contact Darlene Kirk in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs on 202-203-7616 or
kirkdx@state.gov or Karlygash Faillace in the Bureau of South Central Asian Affairs on 202-647-8914 or
FaillaceKB@state.gov. Starting today, visit
http://exchanges.state.gov/ to follow this program through the players’ and coaches’ blog.
