A Girl and Her Kampung.

It takes a whole kampung to raise a child. In my case, it takes the whole community to develop a girl's knowledge in football.

I signed up for Global Master in Sport Management and Legal Skills with FC Barcelona last March because i was upset i didn’t get to the final interview round to enable me to enrol in the FIFA Diploma in Club Management. It was a decision i made without weighing the consequences because i was angry, but at the same time i was quite determined to learn more about football, explore and then contribute to the community. 

In my football journey, i found the ‘it’ support group that was willing to teach and advise me, exchange ideas and most importantly respect me as a human. I would not be able to progress without the Football Community and I must mention some individuals namely Alfazril Awaludin, Coach Shahidan Rusly, Brother Khal, Nadzry Abu Bakar, Ahnaf Yusri, Izrin Nabil, Ardani Rais, Adam Nizam, Faiz Hajizi, Coach Shazwan Wong, Hakim Ainudin, Jamiatul Abdul Jabar, Chris Olivia Tan, Bellinda Edwin, Sha Samshool, Coach Cameron Ng, Syazwan Shamsudin, Shah Amirul and Alfadli Awaludin.

My knowledge regarding football came from various sources but the following deserve special mention: tweets and Clubhouse talks by Pulotutui (Khairul Anuar Azmi), Safirul Abu Bakar, Nur Jasni Mohamed, Zahid Razak (Atlead Pass), Padang Bolasepak team, Yunus Zakaria (Bahas Bola), Ewan Abas, Piang Shankly, Juan Budiman, Ahmad Ridzuan and Ahmad Faedzal Md Ramli which this definitely the power of social media. At the end of day, it's all about what you want to gain from what is made available to you and the determination to succeed.

Thank you to my kampung for ‘raising’ me. I will not be where i am now without them. It’s surreal, still feels like a fantasy even now. Never in my wildest dream had I imagined I would be in Barcelona for football! The process was exhausting. I cannot really pinpoint the one who helped me to get my MTP as a week prior to travelling i started to panic and sent out emails to almost anyone and everyone who could possibly be reaching out to make it happen. I thank YB Dato Saifuddin Abdullah, Stuart Ramalingam and everyone at the Immigration Malaysia who read my email that actually led to approval of my application. It’s a risk i took without giving due thought but has gotten me quite far, further than i had ever dared imagine. It doesn’t make sense, but i have a whole kampung cheering me up even when i stumbled and needed a direction to move forward. Alhamdulilah. 

I had an amazing time in Barcelona. It was a total of 13 nationalities of various backgrounds. I had the chance to witness the making of Champions League game, visit stadiums and meet a few respectful personnel in the football industry. But what i would not be able to forget is the chance to be the part of legal council for the club through our Players Representation class. Being on ground, having to fight a case, is mind blowing. 

I look forward to meeting my classmates again and we decided for next year World Cup to meet up. A good reason to network, exchange ideas and watch games. For now, as i don’t have any professional background in football industry, it’s time for me to learn from one. And hopefully one day, i’ll be ready to join Lion City Sailors or maybe the City Football Group Corporate Functions team. 

My family and my kampung, thank you for giving me the opportunity to learn football. This Master's degree is dedicated to my dad and Aedy Ashraf who had never had the opportunity to continue their studies due to their responsibility towards their respective families. Never had they let a day pass without supporting my crazy ideas and decisions.

Written by Mutiara Bahir of Challo FC