The Female Prisoners Becoming Football Coaches In Africa

After spending almost 4 years successful situation successful Freetown, shot has provided Marie pinch nan chance of a caller commencement successful life.

While down bars astatine a correctional installation successful Sierra Leone's capital, she enrolled successful nan first-ever coaching people for female inmates organised by nan Confederation of African Football (Caf).

She was among 26 women and 5 constabulary officers who took portion successful nan Football for Reform inaugural past year.

"Life successful situation correct now, nan only point you request is respect," Marie, whose existent sanction was withheld by nan situation authorities, told nan BBC World Service.

"When you [have] respect, [it is] for illustration you are not successful prison."

The eight-day people equips inmates pinch a Caf-accredited D licence, a badge which enables them to coach shot astatine grassroots level erstwhile they are released.

"It was much than nan connection great," Marie said.

"I americium proud to get my certificate. With this coaching certificate, I want to beryllium capable to get a job."

About 80 women and their children are presently housed astatine nan Freetown Female Correctional Centre according to AdvocAid, a non-governmental organisation successful nan West African country.

But it is not conscionable prisoners successful Sierra Leone who person benefitted from nan Caf course.

It has besides been held successful Ghana, is nether measurement successful Liberia and location are plans to widen nan strategy to different parts of nan continent.

Isha Johansen, nan erstwhile president of nan Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA), pioneered nan task aft a sojourn to nan correctional installation successful Freetown.

"I saw very young girls there, an inmate pinch a babe connected her thigh and different pregnant," she told nan BBC.

"Ninety percent of those inmates were successful location because of poorness aliases petty crimes. They had nary business being there.

"They are spending five, six aliases 8 years doing nothing.

"I had to make a change. I was compelled to do thing and shot was a monolithic instrumentality I had astatine my disposal."

With fewer accommodation astatine Freetown's correctional centre, nan first people was tally connected nan astroturf transportation astatine nan SLFA academy successful nan city.

The country's governing assemblage besides provided nan inmates pinch instrumentality and jerseys.

However, Johansen said nan situation will now beryllium investing successful its ain shot transportation "in nan adjacent fewer months".

For those not keen connected issuing instructions connected nan touchline, nan Caf programme besides offers different ways for inmates to get involved.

Some are now sewing jerseys and training bibs for clubs crossed nan country.

"What I'd for illustration to spot is erstwhile these girls spell backmost into society, they don't extremity up backmost successful prison," Johansen said.

"When they travel out, they've sewage skills. They tin spell to nan shot federation to look for a occupation and they tin coach successful schools."

Meanwhile, inmates successful Nsawam - nan largest female situation successful Ghana pinch a organization of 115 - besides took to nan shot transportation successful February.

The facility, located conscionable to nan northbound of nan superior Accra, houses conscionable complete half of nan country's female convicts.

"Being successful situation present is very analyzable for us," said 1 captive progressive successful nan strategy successful Nsawam.

"We are controlled connected everything. It gives america a headache.

"But coaching is my passion, truthful erstwhile we heard astir nan people I was truthful happy to beryllium portion of it.

"We person learnt a batch of skills, for illustration dribbling techniques."

Former Ghana world Mercy Tagoe, who represented her state astatine nan 1999 Women's World Cup and has besides coached nan Black Queens, was among nan instructors erstwhile nan Caf people was tally successful Nsawam.

She stresses really it tin thief inmates backmost into society.

"They tin do thing pinch this license. Once they time off situation they tin commencement pinch nan grassroots wrong their section area," Tagoe said.

"They spell to situation to beryllium reformed. So this people tin thief them move connected pinch their lives."

Back successful Freetown, Johansen is moving pinch Caf and world governing assemblage Fifa to spot really nan strategy tin beryllium implemented successful different African countries - but besides further afield successful Asia and South America.

Football, she believes, has nan powerfulness nan alteration nan lives of young women successful akin circumstances crossed nan globe.

"It's astir utilizing shot for affirmative societal change," Johansen said.

"Football is truthful overmuch much than conscionable 90 minutes connected nan pitch. This is an illustration of that."