Pakistan’s first-ever ‘Mountain Girls Premier League’ was held in Gulmit, Hunza, recently and what a passion-filled event it had been that even FIFA recognized it. The final was played between Gulmit Young Stars Club and Shah Talib FC. Gulmit Young Stars Club won the match when they beat Shah Talib FC 2-0.
Ten teams from all over Hunza have participated in this event. Ruqaya Farheen of Gulmit Young Stars was named ‘Player of the Series’. ‘Best Goalkeeper’ award went Bibi Asdaf of Gulmit Young Stars conceding one goal only in the tournament. The ‘Player of the Match’ award went to Marvi Baig of Gulmit Young Stars. Marvi scored one goal in the final and five goals in the tournament.
Source: Twitter
Chief Guest of the event was Mr. Kamil Jan, a social activist who belongs to Shishkat Gojal who on his speech said that he will always be supporting such healthy activities for women of his area. Presiding Guest of the final was Mr. Ghulam Tahir, Vice Chairman Rupani Foundation Hunza, who along with his team distributed masks to the crowd and participating teams and appreciated the girls for their achievements. Tournament sponsor was the tourism department Gilgit-Baltistan.
Pakistan’s mountain girls
Pir Faraz Ali, a travel blogger from Hunza, shared the story about this sporting event initially. He shared the story on his Instagram and Twitter accounts where he provided details of the tournament. He also asked his followers to support this initiative and the mountain girls.
“Throughout the tournament, I saw immense talent and passion for football amongst the girls, especially the players from Gulmit. Playing a sport that requires a lot of stamina at an altitude of around 2500m is very challenging due to lack of oxygen,” he said in his post.
He added, “Unfortunately, there’s not much encouragement and support for women in the field of sports, hence, I decided to make this post so that these talented girls get global recognition and get opportunities to pursue their passion for football professionally.”
And, it worked! The story got so much recognition that even FIFA Women’s World Cup Twitter handle shared it with the world.
FIFA Women’s World Cup shared the highlights on Twitter
The FIFA Women’s World Cup also praised Pakistan’s first-ever ‘Mountain Girls Premier League’ in Gulmit. It shared the highlights on their official Twitter with a smiling emoji.
— FIFA Women's World Cup (@FIFAWWC) August 23, 2020
Ali Khan Tareen, son of Jahangir Khan Tareen and co-owner of PSL franchise Multan Sultans, also appreciated this tournament. He retweeted the highlights of the tournaments on his official Twitter account.
Wowowoowowowowowowowowow ??????????? https://t.co/ADcBt1zWmo
— Ali Khan Tareen (@aliktareen) August 23, 2020
Pakistani female athletes are making the nation proud already. However, this Pakistani women’s football team from Gulmit has shown that it is an epitome of confidence, self-belief, and determination.
Every woman in Pakistan can take them as an inspiration for following their dreams. These young, energetic and enthusiastic individuals prove it to the world that women too can do whatever they want to once they put their mind to it, irrespective of any of the hurdles that might come their way.
What do you think of this story? Let us know in the comments section below!
