Al-Riyada Wal Shabah (Youth and Sports Section)

Summary and Translation of an Article in Kul-Al-Arab Magazine
1 April 2005
Page 32

Bethlehem – A female University students from a family that loves sports. Also, she has a strong personality, excellent skills, and she is good looking. This is Honey Thalgiyeh, Captain of the Women Soccer Team in Bethlehem University and the Palestinian National Team of Women Soccer. Thalgiyeh wondered: “why is it that men can play soccer and we cannot? We are just as capable !”

Question: How did you start playing soccer?
I liked soccer since I was a little girl and I watched it on television. At the age of 13, I organized my female friends in a soccer team. Now in Bethlehem University, Samar Al-Araj is encouraging me.

Question: When was the team formed in Bethlehem University?
That was two years ago, but more seriously since we participated in tournaments in Jordan.

Question: How are the players selected?
When we announced the formation of the team, women started coming forward, and I felt they were truly responsive.

Question: How did the general public receive the idea of a soccer team for women?
We must prove to the public that we are capable. The audience will accept the idea if we play well. I believe that women can be in all types of sports.

Question: What type of difficulties are you facing as women athletes?
There are many difficulties. There are few women teams to compete with, and there is a shortage of physical facilities.

Question: Why did you choose soccer in particular?
I was always dreaming of a women soccer team that will represent Palestine in the international arena.

Question: How did your parents react to the idea of you playing soccer?
At first they tried to change my mind. Now they accept the idea and they encourage me, especially that my father is a great fan of soccer himself.

Question: Will you continue playing soccer if you get married?
I will not abandon soccer even if I get married, and my future husband has to understand this.

Question: Will you agree to play soccer abroad if an offer is made?
We cannot compete with the women players of the USA, China, or Norway, for example. Maybe ten years from now the next generation can compete internationally.

Question, Vicky Wyeman, from Britain, offered you training for three months. Did that help?
Yes because Vicky was a soccer player herself. She offered us good advice, and I hope to see her again.

Question: How do you see the future of women’s soccer in Palestine?
Women have a lot to offer in all fields if they are given the opportunity. The future of women’s soccer will depend on the level of care offered us by sports officials.

Question: Some say that men can give in the sports fields more than women. Is that trues?
Soccer does not require a rough attitude. It requires intelligence, where men and women are equal. One can acquire the needed skills through training.

In the end?
I say wait for us ! We will represent Palestine in soccer to the best of our abilities. We only want your solidarity so we can pursue this path