Female athletes keep ball rolling in Palestine

Many female soccer players in Palestine are fighting an uphill battle given their towns’ traditions, which discourage women from participating in athletics.
A member of the Palestinian national women's soccer team leans on a fence during a training session in the West Bank town of Bethlehem February 20, 2007. Some 18 Palestinian athletes make up the women's national team that was founded in 2003 and joined FIFA in the summer of 2006. Picture taken February 20, 2007. REUTERS/Eliana Aponte (WEST BANK) - RTR1MNTR
A member of the Palestinian national women's soccer team leans on a fence during a training session in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Feb. 20, 2007. - REUTERS/Eliana Aponte
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Aziza Nofal
@azizanofal
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RAMALLAH, West Bank — At the age of 18, Mariam Hamdan already has overcome intense pressure and stigma in order to become an advocate for women’s soccer in the West Bank.

“I will never quit playing soccer. A day will come when my daughters and I will play together in the stadium,” Hamdan said as she described her passion for the sport.

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