Female footballer who fled Taliban for Harrogate with help of Kim Kardashian talks about the Afghanistan she left behind

As someone whose life has been threatened for playing football, Sabreyah Nowrozi knows all about the dangers that cause refugees to flee from their homelands.

Sabreyah was captain of the Afghanistan women’s development team when the Taliban - which bans women from competing in sport - seized power on August 15, 2021.

Instead of preparing for their next tournament, she, her teammates and their families all ended up scrambling just to escape the country alive.

Sabreyah has gone on to forge a new life in the UK, where she is continuing her football career with Harrogate Town AFC Women, studying at Harrogate College and working as a teaching assistant.

Next Tuesday, June 13 will see the 25-year-old help the college hold its very first Afghanistan Day to shine a light on her homeland’s rich culture in the lead-up to Refugee Week.

Sabreyah said: “I think most people just know about the war and troubles we’ve had in Afghanistan, but this day will be a chance to show the other side and share information about our culture and the country’s positive qualities.

“We’ll be showing films about its history, from the old days to present times, which I think are amazing.

"We’ll also be sharing some artwork, poems, songs and readings, and traditional dress.

"There will be some Afghan dishes - which I’m making at home, with friends - to sample too, for a small cost, with the money raised going toward women’s healthcare and education.”

Sabreyah is studying English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) at Harrogate College, which was granted College of Sanctuary status in recognition of its work to support refugees and asylum seekers.

The college has seen a recent upsurge in ESOL student numbers, which jumped from 60 in 2021-22 to more than 140 this academic year.

Many are refugees who have endured all kinds of risks to escape from places, like Ukraine and Afghanistan, ravaged by conflict.

Sabreyah’s own journey to safety - first to Pakistan and then, through a Kim Kardashian paid flight, to the UK - was fraught with danger, and saw her and her teammates interrogated at numerous Taliban checkpoints.

She said: “I had a very good time playing football in Afghanistan but when the Taliban came everything finished and, as a football player, I felt I couldn’t continue in the country.

“They were so angry with me and told me never to come back, or they would kill me.

"I thought: ‘we need to move, now’ - it was a dangerous time for me and my family.”

With the situation in Afghanistan still very unstable and the Taliban in power, Sabreyah is now focused on her and her family’s future in the UK - and has her sights set on a psychology course at the University of York.

Sabreyah’s escape from Afghanistan was also helped greatly by former Afghan Women’s National Team captain Khalida Popal, who coordinated the evacuation efforts, and Leeds United FC.

The theme of this year’s Refugee Week (June 19-25) is Compassion.

To book a free place at Afghanistan Day, which is open to the public, visit ww.harrogate-college.ac.uk/contact/events/afghanistan-day-a-celebration-of-afghan-culture