Written by: Virdah Khan
Posted on: September 24, 2021 | 
| 中文
(Left) All the teams standing in line during the opening ceremony of GBGFL (credit to Pamir Times) and Karishma & Sumaira Inayat, the organizers of the Gilgit-Baltistan Girls Football League (GBGFL) (Right)
The Gilgit-Baltistan Girls Football League (GBGFL) season 3 is going on in Passu valley, Gojal. This event has opened new horizons for women’s sports in Pakistan, a country where the participation of girls in sports is negligible. Gilgit-Baltistan, especially the Hunza district, has produced a number of women football and cricket players for Pakistan, prominent among them are cricketer Diana Baig, and Vice-Captain of Pakistan national football team, Malika-e-Noor.
The organizers of the tournament, Karishma and her sister Sumaira Inayat, both football players, represented Pakistan at the Jubilee Games, an Ismaili community event at the international level in 2016. The experience, excitement and exposure inspired the two sisters from Shimshal, Gilgit Baltistan, to initiate an all-girls football league in Gilgit Baltistan, and this is how GBGFL was born.
Organizing an all-girls football league was a very difficult but an ambitious goal, and to accomplish it, the Inayat sisters enlisted the help of their brother. The trio went from village to village, across Gilgit Baltistan, to put together a network of local teams. They learned that the girls of these villages had a passion for football, and also strong support from their families. However, the system to train these girls at a competitive league level was completely missing. Using their talent and experience, the Inayat siblings trained an all-girls team in different villages, and brought these teams to compete in the Gilgit Baltistan Girls Football League held annually in the Passu valley. GBGFL now has teams from eight villages of Gilgit-Baltistan, which participate in all seasons of the GBGFL so far.
An intense moment in a game in GBGFL
According to Karishma, football helps indirectly in educational careers of players as well. It is a registered tournament and they receive certificates of participation, which helps them in getting educational scholarships, because of which our players are delighted to be part of the tournament.
Sumaira talks about GBGFL’s goals and the obstacles that it faces: “The idea is to take the League up to the level of a regional or national event, but we are doing very well at the community level. It is an adventure to play in a ground with no grass, but there is no alternative, unfortunately”.
Two teams ready for a match
The season 3 of the Gilgit Baltistan Girls Football League is taking place after a hiatus in 2020, due to the Covid Pandemic. From Sep 22nd to Sep 26th, teams from Shimshal, Chipurson, Passu, Khyber, Shishkat, Moorkhun, Ghulkin, Gircha will face each other in the Passu valley of Gojal. The previous editions of GBGFL were featured in national media, including Dawn, Express Tribune and Geo News.
A team wearing kits sponsored by MG Apparel (credits to Pamir Times)
Speaking about the challenges they face, Karishma says: “Our greatest challenge has been financing GBGFL. We provide training kits and travel aid to all the players. We bear all costs on behalf of the participating players because their families cannot afford these costs.” Raising funds for an all-girls football league in the far-flung northern regions was a daunting task, but the Inayat sisters have managed it so far.
A team celebrates after scoring a goal
"Financing the League was undoubtedly our biggest challenge. We reached out to companies to appraise them about Gilgit Baltistan Girls Football League and its positive impacts on the society. We are grateful for the support, encouragement, and trust that our sponsors have placed in our dream to make football possible for the girls of Gilgit Baltistan". This year the event is sponsored by a clothing brand ‘MG Apparel’, and an electronics company, ‘PEL’. Sportsinfo.pk, a sports website, is the official media partner of GBGFL 3. With the collaboration of a clothing brand ‘Her Pakistan’, GBGFL organized a menstrual health session for the participating teams on the second day of the event.
Smiles all around
The Inayat sisters have impressive profiles. Karishma is a UGRAD (the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program {UGRAD} provides scholarships to a group of talented students from different parts of the world to study a semester at US universities) exchange alumnus, while Sumaira has completed C-license coaching from Pakistan Football Federation. Their portfolios have helped them in building a unique football league for the girls of Pakistan’s scenic Northern areas, on-boarded sponsors, ensured web and social media presence for GBGFL, networked with influencers and continue to scale successfully with season 3 of Gilgit Baltistan Girls Football League.
A team waiting for its game
Some of the football stars that the GBGFL has produced include Karina Zia, Ambreena Baig, Mumi, Nadia, and Nabila. These are the names to watch out for as the eight teams come face to face in the 3rd edition of GBGFL in picturesque Passu Valley from Sep 22nd to Sep 26th.
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