MCHEZAJI WA TWIGA STARS AULA UTURUKI

Asha with President of Turkey's Atasehir Belediyespor
Women's Football Club, Sadik Kayhan


The Atesehir players welcomed Asha warmly
The new striker meets some of her young fans


Striker Asha Rashid of Mburahati Queens F.C. and the
Tanzanian women's national football team (Twiga
Stars) arrived Saturday in Istanbul, Turkey to join
Atasehir Belediyespor Women's Football Club, who
play in the top flight of Turkish women's football.

If Asha passes a medical examination and receives a
work permit from the Turkish authorities, she will sign a
one and a half season contract with the club.
Atasehir Beladiyespor are currently ranked number
one in the league, and if they can hold that position
until the end of the season in May, they will earn a
sport in the 2011/12 UEFA Women's Champions
League.

FIFA agent Ahmet Goksel Arici (a former Turkish
national team goalkeeper) came across videos of
Asha and her Twiga Stars teammates while browsing
football videos on Youtube. He forwarded the links to
Atasehir team manager Murat Ulku, who had been
looking for speedy forwards to bolster his team's
attack. Immediately impressed by the Tanzanians'
skills, Ulku sent invitations to Asha and her JKT Queens
striker Eto Mlenzi. Within a week, Asha had a Turkish
visa and was on a plane to Istanbul. Eto hopes to
follow her soon, pending permission for a leave of
absence from her Tanzanian club, JKT Queens.

The Atasehir players warmly welcomed Asha, who is
living in a room in the team's private clubhouse. She
smiled and laughed with her teammates while
eating her first dinner with the club. "My team has
welcomed me kindly," she said. "We don't speak the
same language, but we are already friends. The
players are very united. I am very happy."

On Sunday afternoon Atasehir played against the
number three ranked team in the league. Asha is
ineligible to play until she officially registers with the
Turkish Football Federation (T.F.F.) but she warmed up
with the team and impressed them with her shooting
skills. They did fine without her, thumping the
competition with a 5-1 victory to maintain their
position at the top of the Women's Premier League
table.

Though she has yet to play a match, Asha has already
garnered a following among the Atasehir fans, who
chanted and sang her name during the match. They
have high hopes for their potential new striker. And
Asha plans to deliver. "I believe in myself, and I think I
can really help this team... I've seen the football here
now, and I know that it is nothing to be afraid of."

Asha's path to being noticed via Youtube points to
interesting changes that are happening in football
business. No longer do agents have to travel to
faraway countries to see players in the flesh, nor do
players have to pray for their single chance to play in
front of an international scout.
Players who want to be noticed can advertise their
skills on the internet and let the world be the judge.
We can hope that Asha will be the first in a long line
Tanzanian players who follow this new path to their
football dreams.

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