KEBABBLE Sporting a new style
for women By Fazile Zahir
FETHIYE, Turkey - Soccer in Turkey is very
popular but differs from the rest of Europe in
that it is still largely a men's game. In fact, in
Europe only Turkey and Albania lack professional
women's soccer leagues.
There are female
fans but there are very few female players.
Turkish women did begin to play the game, but in
2003 the Turkish Women's Professional Football
League folded amid much
derision from men and bogus
medical reports suggesting the "beautiful game"
was detrimental to the female body.
The
official reasons for closing the league were just
as unconvincing as the medical reports. Turkish
Football Federation planning and development
coordinator Ahmet Guvener claimed it was because
women's soccer was not properly or professionally
managed, but popular belief is that the real
reason for closure was "undesirable" romantic
activity between players and trainers.
However, the league was revamped and
reopened in 2005 with a "Women are Coming"
tournament in Istanbul featuring 14 women's teams
battling for glory. The event attracted media
attention but nowhere near as much as some village
girls did just months later playing soccer in
their own small town. In September 2005, 22 local
girls played a brief exhibition game during the
half-time period of a cup match between male
teams.
They called themselves
Alyazmalispor and Bindallispor. Alyazmalispor's
trainer, Mehmet Demir, welcomed his team on to the
pitch with a pep talk, saying, "Come on, girls,
teach the boys how soccer is really played - play
like gentlemen, and no fouling." The girls came on
to the pitch in regional dress with scarves over
their hair and holding banners that read, "No to
swearing and violence in sport." After warming up
in front of 2,000 spectators, they played a game
of two 10-minute halves.
The game was
characterized by enthusiasm and rough play, and
two red cards and one yellow were shown. The final
score was Alyazmalispor 2-Bindallispor 0. What
really captured the attention of the newspapers,
though, was not the quality of play but the type
of headgear the girls wore. Every story written
called them variations of "The Covered Up Sports
Team".
The girls said they had set up a
team to show that Muslim girls could play active
sports, and they were looking for other teams to
compete against. The head of the Eregli town
council, Halil Posbiyik, promised to help sponsor
similar girls' teams and provide them with kit and
training. He said he was proud of the girls'
bravery and believed that their actions showed how
modern and forward-thinking his area was.
These Turkish girls are not the only
Islamic women to tackle the thorny issue of
appropriate dress for aerobic sports. In April
2005, Islamic hardiners in Pakistan attacked
runners in a mixed-sex race in Gujranwala, and a
ban on these types of races was introduced.
Women's soccer is also played in Pakistan,
although very conservative Muslims oppose the
activity. The female players are fully covered to
avoid offending Muslim sensibilities, and no male
spectators are allowed.
In the 1992 Summer
Olympic Games, Algerian Hassiba Boulmerka won the
1,500 meters in men's shorts. Instead of
celebrating the first Algerian to accomplish such
a feat, fundamentalists denounced her victory for
"running with naked legs in front of thousands of
men" and Boulmerka was forced into exile because
of death threats from her countrymen.
In
Iran, women's sporting opportunities are limited
because they have to wear a headscarf and long
coat. One of the few sports they can compete in
globally is shooting. Nineteen-year-old Nassim
Hassanpour was the only female member of the
Iranian Olympic team in 2004. She took part in the
air-rifle shooting competition. But her first
passion is not marksmanship, it's gymnastics - in
which she cannot compete globally because of the
dress requirements and the mixed audience.
Iranian women are increasingly turning to
sports such as golf and riding, where their strict
dress code can be adhered to in public. But
despite conforming to Islamic dress, they are
still hampered by lack of facilities or lack of
access to facilities. Most Iranian golf clubs only
allow women to play in the mornings, and Tehran's
largest sports club has six times as many courts
for men as it does for women.
Competitions
designed for Muslim women do take place, though.
The third Muslim Women's Games were held in Tehran
in December 2005, and about 800 women from all
over the Islamic world competed.
The Games
were only open to men and photographic media
during the opening ceremonies when the women were
covered, and thereafter there were no male
spectators or supporters and no male trainers.
Photography was also not allowed. In an all-female
environment, the women were free to take part in
all the sporting events dressed in shorts,
T-shirts and even swimsuits.
The abilities
of the teams varied widely, from amateurs like the
British women's soccer team, who train only once a
week on an indoor pitch with a note stuck on the
door saying "Women Only", to professionals like
the Iranian squad, who are a recognized national
team intensively trained by a Brazilian coach and
supported by the government. Although the
promoters of the Games would like them to become
an Islamic rival to the Olympics, it is difficult
to see how they might publicize the Games in
today's modern media world without photographs.
Some astute entrepreneurs have chosen to
exploit the niche market of culturally sensitive
sportswear. Dutch designer Cindy van den Bremen
has created the Capster, a sleek head covering
made from stretchy fabric that covers the head and
neck. It is claimed that the Capster makes it
possible for women to participate in physical
activity without having to worry about a shifting
headscarf. Van den Bremen came up with the idea
after hearing that Dutch Muslim girls were
skipping gym classes at school because they didn't
have a viable alternative to hijabs (which
are not allowed in the Netherlands for safety
reasons).
Although she showed her product
to major sportswear labels, van den Bremen had no
takers - the companies expressed an interest but
said the concept "didn't fit" their brands. The
Capsters are, however, available for 22.50 euros
(US$30.50) from the company's website,
www.capsters.com. There are examples for aerobics,
skating, tennis and outdoor wear, but sadly none
for soccer.
Fazile Zahir is of
Turkish descent, born and brought up in London.
She moved to Turkey in 2005 and has been writing
full-time since then.
Head
Office: Unit B, 16/F, Li Dong Building, No. 9 Li Yuen Street East,
Central, Hong Kong Thailand Bureau:
11/13 Petchkasem Road, Hua Hin, Prachuab Kirikhan, Thailand 77110
