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The network’s support for the side extends beyond sponsoring them in the upcoming Football Victoria (FV) senior women’s competition, with potential off-field benefits also offered.
Comprising of women who’ve represented Afghanistan at an international level, the outfit fled Kabul for fear of torture or death when the Taliban assumed control of their homeland and targeted all women who publicly participated in sports.
Following tireless efforts from former captain, Khalida Popal, who resides in Denmark, and former Socceroo, Craig Foster, the women were accepted into Australia and arrived in Melbourne via Dubai in the belly of a military cargo plane.
Reunited in the Victoria capital, the side played under the wing of Melbourne Victory Football Club, which provides them with logistical, administrative, and coaching support.
Ahead of the 2023 FV senior women’s competition, Victorian agency Barry Plant will sponsor the side, though network chief executive officer, Mike McCarthy, believes supporting the team extends the pitch and “send[s] a clear message to all the women and girls in Afghanistan, who are currently denied access to education, sport, and even the freedom to be outside without a male relative, that there is hope.”
Noting that “gender inequality is an issue that affects us here in,” he stated, “these women are being denied basic human rights and this is a global concern.”
Having sponsored Melbourne Victory Football Club before, Barry Plant’s connections facilitated their move to supporting the Afghan women’s team, who dons a richly red kit — a colour representing Afghanistan.
“Our support won’t stop with the team sponsorship; we will also be there to help them with their careers, should they want it,” Mr McCarthy declared.
Through Barry Plant Real Estate training, which launched towards the tail end of October 2022, the agency will also offer scholarships to members of the side wishing to pursue a career in real estate, allowing them to study for their required qualifications and seek to find employment within the real estate network.
