A special soccer team in Utah has led to new friendships, growing confidence and new leadership skills among girls from different backgrounds.
The program is called She Belongs, and it integrates local and refugee girls through soccer.
Aroosa Khurram, a high school sophomore, is a player on the team who is originally from Pakistan.
“I’m so glad I found this because it’s really great meeting all these girls and making connections. I’ve had a lot of fun,” she said.
Abbey Thornton, of the Salt Lake Highland Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is a high school senior and on the team.
“She Belongs emulates the Savior’s example,” Abbey said. “It’s a group of girls learning to love each other for their personalities, not influenced by their race, financial situation or home country. We are united by becoming one in our attempt to make sure everyone feels like they belong, just like the Savior did.”
She Belongs is a program of Refugee Soccer, which was started by Adam Miles — who saw sports as a way to help people transcend their differences.
Players grow on the field and off by participating in classes in leadership and advocacy.
“At Refugee Soccer, basically, the whole idea is to connect the refugee community with the non-refugee community through sport,” he recently told a group of people who had gathered to learn more about the program.
The gathering on Wednesday, April 23, was hosted by Annette Morley of the Sandy Utah Hidden Valley Stake, who has been helping to grow more awareness of She Belongs.
This has been a way for her to follow the invitation to get involved in the Relief Society’s global initiative for women and children — which seeks to help support women and children in a variety of ways both locally and globally.
“This is a part of my personal testimony of my Savior and how I worship Him,” she said.
Morley said the April 2016 general conference talk “I Was a Stranger” by then Relief Society General President Linda K. Burton had a profound influence in her life.
In that talk, Sister Burton invited all to prayerfully determine what they can do to serve refugees living in their neighborhoods and communities.
Morley also pointed to Church President Russell M. Nelson‘s remarks in October 2020 general conference: “I call upon our members everywhere to lead out in abandoning attitudes and actions of prejudice. I plead with you to promote respect for all of God’s children.”
And she referred to an October 2023 general conference talk by Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, when he said, “As disciples of Christ, we are invited to increase our faith in, and love for, our spiritual brother- and sisterhood by genuinely knitting our hearts together in unity and love, regardless of our differences, thereby increasing our ability to promote respect for the dignity of all the sons and daughters of God.”
Confidence, empowerment and playing in Spain
In 2023, the inaugural She Belongs team — made up of 22 refugee and non-refugee young women from Utah — visited New Zealand for the Women’s World Cup.
Now the team is preparing to go to Spain in June for the first She Belongs Global Cup. Teams have formed of teenage young women from five countries. They will play each other June 1-7 in various venues in Madrid.
Aroosa is looking forward to it. “We are going to meet all these other girls from other countries who are coming, and it will be a great moment for us to enjoy girlhood.”
Abbey has been playing soccer since she was a little girl. “Going to Spain is such an exciting opportunity to be able to play the beautiful game of soccer with teammates that are so important to me,” she said.
The game transcends cultural and language barriers, Abbey explained. “To be able to play with and against other people who share our goal is a once in a lifetime chance that I am so excited to be a part of.”
Marli Berg is the team’s head coach — she said the position felt humbling and overwhelming when Miles asked her to take it on.
Now she sees “that this next generation and these refugees are actually building the confidence and the empowerment and belief that they can conquer anything they want in this world despite where they came from or their situation, how they got here or their background.”
Besides teaching soccer skills and coaching the team, Berg tries to instill determination and discipline in the young women.
“We have girls with us from the 2023 team and to see them now in their new role, most of them have grown tremendously in leadership roles and confidence, in the belief that they can do whatever they want,” she said.
For Aroosa, playing soccer has started something that goes beyond the field. “I just want to take the relationships I’ve built so far and take them further.”
Morley said the girls playing soccer together, building friendships, learning more about each other and excitedly planning for the future together is truly “having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another” (see Mosiah 18:21).
