Fifteen-year-old Srey Da* went from farmer to football star in the Cambodian national team thanks to ISF’s Football Programme. This is her story.

“My name is Srey Da and I am 15 years old. When I was little, I lived in Takeo Province with my parents and life was hard. My parents worked as farmers in the rice fields but didn’t have stable jobs. They relied on the money my sister sent us from Phnom Penh, where she was working in a garment factory.

I went to school on and off for three years in the province, but I couldn’t attend regularly because I had to help my parents in the fields and do housework. My parents wanted me to get a good education, so they sent me to Phnom Penh to live with my sister. My life got better when I joined ISF in 2012. Thanks to ISF, I caught up with my education and I’m now in grade 10 at state school. ISF also gives children the opportunity to play and participate in sports. I took advantage of that and joined the ISF Football Programme. It was the best decision of my life!

It was difficult at first because my parents didn’t want me to play football and go to football training by myself late in the afternoon. It took time, but we managed to convince them in the end. I promised to work hard both in school and on the football field and I proved to myself and my parents that girls can play football just as well as boys.

I’ve been playing for ISF and my state school football team for three years and I’ve been working part-time as a football referee helping ISF coaches during the ISF Football League and tournaments. It’s been a great experience for me because I want to be a coach in the future. Coaching is very different from playing, but this job allows me to put my skills to the test.

Some people think girls shouldn’t be involved in football, but why should boys have all the fun?! In May 2017, I proved those people wrong: I was selected to play with the Cambodian national football team in the 2017 ASEAN Football Federation U15 Girls’ Championship in Laos. After intense training and tough competition, we came in third place!

As I’m now a member of the Cambodian national football team, I might have the opportunity to play in the 2023 Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh. I will do my best to qualify for the competitions, and I will never give up football and my dream of becoming a coach.”

*Names of children under 18 years old have been changed