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UEFA’s Together #WePlayStrong women’s football campaign has released a documentary with Jawahir Roble, the UK’s first female Muslim referee.

As part of its 'Strong Is' documentary series, the films follow the journey of some of the biggest names in women’s football, shining a light on the adversities they have faced and how football has played a key role in their life.

In Jawahir's documentary, which is in partnership with Esprit, she talks openly about how she became the UK’s first female Muslim referee. Jawahir's love for football started in her home country of Somalia where she would play on the beach every weekend, but when the civil war broke out, she and her family had to flee quickly.

She came to London to seek refuge and grew up around the corner from Wembley Stadium.

Although she found it difficult to make friends at first, Jawahir soon found common ground with people through her love of football. Her parents didn’t want her to play the game and instead steered her on a journey to study finance at university, but she kept playing in secret and found an opportunity in refereeing, which she describes as ‘having the best seat in the house’ during games. 

Now, she’s one of the most decorated female referees in the country and has won so many accolades for her charity work and passion for encouraging more Muslim girls and women to play sport.

Watch Jawahir's inspiring film, courtesy of UEFA #WePlayStrong, here:

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