The Female Hidden Power in American Football
Sabrine Mziguir, a Moroccan American Football coach who has proven to her community that the impossible does not exist in the 21st century
“American football has always been a magical mystery to me till the day I came across a male team playing in the beach near The Kasbah of The Udayas. That very day made me fall madly in love with this game”.
The so-called Sabrine, a 27-year-old passionate woman; has fought days and nights since 2013 to prove to men that the American Football is a female game as well.
We had the chance to interview Ms Sabrine Mziguir in order to watch her sports experience through her eyes.
Could you tell us what inspired you to become an American football player?
” Interesting question. A lot of people belittled me pretexting that American Football is a male and a tough game, but I kept fighting and proved them wrong. The idea of creating a female team sprung into my mind after I got rejected by a coach in a summer camp in Italy. I eventually joined the male team; however, I have been through hard times. It was hard for me to be rejected. But I preferred to choose my thoughts wisely rather than giving up. For I do not want to live with a painful feeling in my chest reminding me that I have made a lame mistake. I have always been a fighter and I always will.” She mentioned.
Morocco’s first female American Football team “The Black Mambas” was founded in 2015 by Sabrine Mziguir, Zakaria Oueldsidi and their dearest friend Othmane.
What have been the biggest challenges of creating a football team?
“In every beginning of a journey, people tend to face struggles. In “The Black Mamba’s case”, we had no fields nor sports equipment. Yet, we kept training at the beach using anything available as resources. We had our ups and downs, but again, we maintain a flexible mindset, we know how to neutralize our emotions. Football requires patience, energy and on top of all that mental strength. It is all mental, we are ruled by our will. And as far as my team and I are concerned, negativity is a place of hollowness and darkness that brings nothing but misery while positivity provides the most important thing to hold on to; and that is hope”. Sabrina admits.
Ayman, would you mind telling us somewhat about your sports background and what made you choose the black mambas’ team?
“ Well, we each have unique gifts, some are born to be artists, some are natural writers, and the list goes on… My goal is to be a professional US player, and I am doing all my best to make my dream come true. Otherwise, I enjoy helping others feel good about themselves or filling a need in them, and if you ask me, the feeling is intense and it goes both ways… Team spirit is what grabbed my attention since day one. The mambas area second family that filled a void left by Basketball, and since I am a coach assistant, I feel like it is my responsibility to help everyone on my team do their best. For family comes first, and I am ready to die for them.” Affirmed Aymane Sassi.
And this leads me to my other question that is, how did you manage to stay fit during lockdown? Sabrina would you mind answering this question?
“No I do not mind. Well, truth be told, staying at home had a negative effect on our physical and mental health because the mandatory lockdown has ended our footballing season. However, we had to find a way to stay motivated and physically active without necessarily going to the gym during the unforeseen period of confinement. Again, exercising at home was nothing like the training we usually do when we are together, but it was fun nonetheless. We did not follow a particular rule, each one of us did what he or she wanted based on their needs and goals. My own training program to lose fat and get my heart and blood pumping was as follows, I sprint to the top of my building’s stairs and jog back to bottom, do a few squats and follow it up with the same number of burpees and pushups. And then I lift filled water bottles or carry groceries (to replace dumbbell rows) … Moreover, regular training was good for our mental health; it was our way to make it through confinement.” Sabrina added.
Have you found a safe way to resume your suspended seasons?
“Believe it or not, studies have demonstrated that playing football is much less of a risk to contamination than previously thought. Thereby, we were allowed to train on the field since this latter is large enough to welcome our football players without risking virus infections. Besides, we take all the necessary precautions provided by our local health authority to stay safe and well protected. We wear our masks, clean our hands before, during and after practices and when sharing equipment. We also bring our own gloves and water bottles to avoid closeness, not to mention the physical distance that we keep to reduce the risk of getting infected.” She replied
The female team played their very first international game against the Egyptian “Pink Warriors” back in 2017. The former prepared themselves mentally and physically for the game soon after receiving the invitation from the Egyptian team.
Could you tell us more about your journey in Egypt?
“The African Clash means much more than words can describe; it was and will always be of utmost importance to us. The match was held in the Olympic center in MAADI/Cairo. Each member of the black mambas put a huge effort in this game for more than 90 minutes . Truth be told, we lost the game for we had no substitute players, but we have won a priceless trophy that is our team work, force and ability to unveil our teeth without hesitation. We have learned that fear is an obstacle and that courage is the key to victory. Each single female in the team has been able to tackle and break free of the stereotypes and prejudices -that US football is a game for men- by showing how good she is at playing.” Sabrina said.
What would you tell those who think that girls cannot join male teams?
“Good question. As I mentioned earlier, some people think that girls cannot be on male sports teams for they are not as strong as men. I am afraid this is partially wrong. I am not against the idea that some girls are fragile and could not join boys’ teams or that male’s and female’s muscles grow differently but there are some strong girls who have the exact same athletic abilities that men have and their abilities match better on male teams. Plus, some studies have shown that a good number of girls think faster, do better under pressure and should have the same sport opportunities as men. Girls are warriors.”
The key to the mambas’ success is that they always focus on the bright side when life knocks them down; by determining where their weak points are and focusing on improving. They always find ways to challenge and dig deeper into their souls to bring the best out of themselves.
