Once upon a time, a spunky little girl traveled halfway across the world and discovered a talent that would change her life. Meet midfielder Seba Tawfiq.

Seba was nine years old when her family left Saudi Arabia for new adventures in Canada. In Jeddah, Seba never saw girls play football. But, in Toronto, they were everywhere! Seba had never even kicked a football. Soon she was passing and shooting like a pro.

Four years later, when the family returned to Jeddah, Seba was determined to find a team. She spent two years playing basketball before joining a football academy that accepted girls. Even then, she was one of just three girls training with a big group of boys. She kept showing up, training, and showing those boys what female footballers can do.

In 2021, Seba took her bold moves and fast footwork to the Jeddah Eagles, and a year later, the midfielder bounded onto the pitch with the powerhouse players of Al-Ittihad. She scored her first goal for the team in the first minute of her first match! It’s no wonder she went on to be named best player at the WAFF Futsal Tournament that season. Now a member of the Saudi national team, Seba is proud to be a role model for Saudi girls who can look to her and her fellow athletes to see the joy of football.

“Whether it is football or any other sport, girls should continue what they are doing. Keep on going, even if people are saying ‘no, don’t do this, don’t do that.”