Moroccan Female Teen Soccer Players : Soccer Playing and Life Skills

EVENTS

02/14/09

Ten Moroccan girls and their two female coaches  participated in a Sports Visitors program for the office of SportUnited, a program organized by US Dept of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.  The group spent twelve days in the U.S. improving their soccer skills, learning to be leaders, and meeting with their American contemporaries.
Their fast paced program included five soccer clinics organized by U.S. Men’s National Team coach Jay Miller and Washington Freedom’s Clive Watson.  Jay Miller and former Women’s National Team Member, Lorrie Fair, served as Sports Envoys to Morocco last spring.  Mr. Miller jumped at the chance to continue to work with the Moroccan girls.
Another highlight for the group was the opportunity to meet and speak with girls their own age.  From practicing with the D.C. Stoddert U-15 travel team and Arlington U-15 recreation team to meeting with a group of 15 and 16 year old International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma female students at Banneker.  The group was engaged in a variety of lively discussions.  Many of the young Moroccan girls were stunned by the diversity of the people they met and pleased to see Muslims accepted everywhere as equals.
Beyond the soccer clinics and meetings, the group had a range of cultural experiences that included visiting Mt. Vernon, touring the U.S. Capitol and the Mall as well as going to see the National Aquarium Baltimore. The group also attended a World Cup qualifier between the U.S. Men’s National Team and Cuba as well as a match between the University of Maryland and University of Virginia Women’s teams.
Coach Halima Berrad remarked “the values that Americans cherish are the same ones that my religion teaches.”
A reception and a fundraiser was hosted by the Washington Moroccan Club. Community members welcomed the Moroccan Soccer teens and presented them with a lot of encouragements and small gifts.

The Soccer Girls are:

Thanks to All those that made this event possible

Special Thanks to

Ms. Touria bernoussi
Dr. Nouredine Gawgaw
Mr. Adbessamad hairy
Ms. Aicha Afifi
Ms. Fatima Zahra Kurtz
Ms. Fatima Zahra Maliki & Association Injaz
Ms. Faiza Mehdi
Mr. Amal  Abdelkader
Mr. Nacir Assaadi
Mr. Mohamed Benjelloun
Ms. Fatima Ezzahra Rachidi
Mr. & Mrs. M. Said  El Ouafi
Mr. Abdellah Benkirane
Ms. Aicha Bensaid
Mr. Mohamed Belkhyat & Mrs. Jackie McCarthy
Mr. Khalid Lhaggazi
Ms. Ellen Hunt
Mr. Rehan & Mrs. Fouzia  Dawer
Mr. Hicham Belmamoun

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Comments (8)  

 

0 #1 Ambassadors of goodwill — Ahmed Slawi , Tunis 2009-02-14 04:08

Thank you very much, you are guys the the Ambassadors of Morocco and the Ambassadors of goodwill . week after week I see something in Morocco board
I do not know how you do that, thank you to Washington Moroccan Club and its members

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0 #2 Thank you! — Hmimarmad 2009-02-14 04:47

Excellent initiative. I hope and pray that such great work gets multiplied a million fold.


Thank you all for working on moving us forward.
It is commendable that the organizers made the group diverse. The beauty of Morocco is that no matter how diverse we are, we are all Moroccans first.

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0 #3 COMMENT_TITLE_R E Moroccan Female Teen Soccer Players : Soccer Playing and Life Skills — MH 2009-02-14 05:04

This was heart warming. Great job and keep up the good work.

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0 #4 COMMENT_TITLE_R E Moroccan Female Teen Soccer Players : Soccer Playing and Life Skills — ash-lah 2009-02-14 11:03

I noticed that the U.S State department and the U.S embassy in Morocco was involved with organizing this event. Never the less, hosting this girls and given them some Moroccan tea is a good gesture.
It is satisfying to see Moroccoboard put on a Humanitarian face and connect with the real Moroccans "wlad Acha3b" instead of exclusively being a mouth-piece for the Moroccan official contour. Again, "Hmimarmad" and myself "ash-lahh" are both expressing some satisfaction this time, even though we were accused of many things in the past, the worst of which was to strip me of my "Maghribity" and accuse me of being "an Algerian paid operative" for expressing my opinion.
I am not loosing fate in Morocco and Moroccans. More initiatives such us this, will land you some credibility with Moroccan American comunity. Still, we will criticize you when, criticism is due.
Respectfully

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0 #5 The still forgotten ESSWASSA — khobzozitun 2009-02-17 03:11

Salam All
Ok it just a look like that someone is taking a good step to include Ewlad and in this case, Ebnat Eshe3b ..!! Just a lil observation... why is it that us Sowassa are always excluded in anything nationwide..and that s not only in Sports.. Bearing in mind, and just in case some of u may not know, that in Agadir there s the best Moroccan female football club and the most active in the whole of Morocco and yet they don t have a single representative. . !!!???
I rest my KASS a 3EBASS..!!

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0 #6 COMMENT_TITLE_R E Moroccan Female Teen Soccer Players : Soccer Playing and Life Skills — Hassan 2009-03-31 19:01

Chill dude, it's just the first step. Your so called Sowassa will be invited in near future inchallah.

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0 #7 cheap jerseys — cheap jerseys 2010-12-23 15:01

Ok it just a nhl jersey look like that someone is taking a good step to include Ewlad and in this case, Ebnat Eshe3b ..!! Just a lil observation... why isusa jersey it that us Sowassa are always excluded in anything nationwide..and that s not only in Sports.. Bearing in mind,cheap jerseys and just in case some of u may not know, thatwholesale jersey in Agadir there s the best Morocca

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0 #8 http://www.usajersey.org — cheap nfl jerseys 2010-12-27 13:00

Bearing in mind, and just in case some of u may not know, that in Agadir there s the best Moroccan female football club and the most active in the whole of Morocco and yet they don t have a single representative. . !!!???
I rest my KASS a 3EBASS..!!

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