Women are rising through the ranks throughout professional football, achieving positions of power in a space that for too long was ruled almost exclusively by men. We’re seeing more and more women breaking barriers in the sport, but what are the stories beyond the headlines? Who are the women shaping and influencing the NFL today? Answering these questions is the goal of the Next Woman Up series. While the conversational questions and answers are edited and condensed for clarity, this is a forum for impactful women to share experiences in their own words. Without further ado, we present to you:
Fouzia Madhouni
Position: NFL Mentoring in the Global Sports Mentoring Program On the same subject : Ongoing Efforts to Support Afghan Special Immigrant Visa Applicants – US Department of State.
When were you first exposed to American football?
I think it was 2013 or 2014. I was in college and I ran into my friend wearing a football helmet. I was interested in the game and asked if I could join, so that’s where it all started.
What attracted you to American football?
From a very young age, I have always been attracted to American culture. I was quite shy and spent all my time at home with my brother watching MTV, which was accessible in Morocco, or movies. I knew American football from TV and it seems very rude to see someone in a helmet and shoulder pads. I never saw women playing American football in the movies, so I wanted to know more.
Did you experience any difficulties when you first started playing?
So I started playing futsal. It was kind of an escape for me, because people don’t know who you are when you’re wearing a helmet. There were a few women I played with, but we didn’t get a lot of chances to play. We were in the team photos but no one gave us access to play. We were paying to be part of the team and it was very hard for us to have the same opportunity as the boys. We were mostly on the sidelines watching the men play the game, and were more cheerleaders than football players.
The women were practicing together during this time, and I was harassed a lot because I didn’t come from the accepted social class. I remember wearing thongs from a thrift store and being bullied by a girl who came from a rich family. I guess because of her and other people who told me I couldn’t play because I was a woman of the wrong social class, I was pushed to play. I always thought about what they thought of me. From there I formed a flag football team. He was playing and training, and we were able to make it work.
I saw on your NFL 360 feature that you were diagnosed with cancer shortly after. What kind of perspective did this experience give you?
It was very hard. I saw soccer as a competitor and I wanted to be the best and be the first woman in Morocco to do this or that. Cancer made me look at football in a different way. Until then I never thought about what football was doing to me. After I had cancer, I started to appreciate the little things in life, like walking. I began to see football from a new perspective. Instead of seeing it as a competition, I saw how it can affect life.
When I was doing chemotherapy, I always played football in the clinic because I thought it was my way to escape. I always told my mother that I would start a football academy after treatment. My family didn’t believe it because I was in a very difficult situation at the time. Walking was the biggest dream there was.
When did you start We Can Morocco? How has the organization grown?
It has grown incredibly compared to many organizations in Morocco. Before the NFL documentary, we only had a We Can academy. We now have two academies for boys and girls in Morocco. We educate through sport, offering English and French courses, leadership classes and more. In addition, we launched a program called Project Without Barriers, in which we offer children with Down syndrome access to flag football.
Our goal now is to give girls in rural areas access to flag football as a competitive medium, but we also want to help raise awareness about things that are considered taboo to talk about in Morocco, such as sexual harassment, and ensure that they know when there is something. t correct We want to give them a safe space.
It’s really amazing work. What is your ultimate goal for your organization?
I would love to expand the business throughout Morocco. Our 10-year vision is to have a We Can Morocco-type organization in Egypt and throughout the African continent. That’s the focus now, and hopefully we can expand into the Middle East as well.
Last year, I worked with the Egyptian American Football Federation to organize the first flag football tournament in Africa called the African Flag Ladies Cup. It was right after I finished my first cancer treatment. There were four teams in the tournament: two Egyptian teams, the Eagles Athletic Club and the Cairo Bears, the Jaguars of Morocco and one American team, the Philadelphia Phantomz.
It was very emotional for me, but it opened my eyes. Instead of watching football as a player from the sidelines, I realized I wanted to watch it from above and help organize and lead. In fact, we clearly discovered our mission and vision for We Can Academies after that tournament.
When and how did you find out you were going to be a part of the US State Department and espnW’s Global Sports Mentoring Program? And what was your reaction to the news?
About a year ago, I was in Morocco and I got a call from the US Embassy in Morocco, and they told me that I was nominated to represent women’s sports in Morocco in the Global Sports Mentoring Program. There were a lot of people nominated and I was chosen somehow.
My first experience with the program was through Gatorade and it was virtual. This was my first time connecting with the NFL, NFL International, NFL Films, etc. They became a great source of support for me during this mentoring program.
This year, I got an email from the program saying I would be mentored by the NFL and the Green Bay Packers and it was going to be in person. I actually jumped for joy when I read it because it is an honor and a dream to be mentored by one of the biggest sports organizations in the world. I’m very happy to be here and I’ve learned a lot about the NFL. I have also learned about some of the initiatives that are impacting lives, including my own.
What was the most important thing you learned during your two weeks in Green Bay and New York?
I never knew the Green Bay Packers were a publicly owned organization and I was very impressed with the work the Packers do in the community. I was able to train at the Packers football extension camp, and I enjoyed every moment because it was really for the kids, which is what I’m doing in Morocco.
He inspired me a lot, and I have a lot of respect for the organization and what they do as a football team and in the community. It was cold, but I really enjoyed it. I would like to go back, but maybe in the summer.
In New York, the program made sure I was introduced to the right people and contacts. I learned a lot about marketing and how I can help my business grow in Morocco. I also learned from NFL International about soccer opportunities that would be useful for the youth of Morocco. One of my dreams is to grow as a coach as well, so they gave me advice and resources to improve.
Do you have a mentor who helped you along the way?
My first mentor is my mother even though we have our differences because we are from different generations. I’m pretty stubborn, but I always knew I didn’t want to be normal. This was scary for her. But I always believed I could do it. If God put these thoughts and plans in my mind, it means that He knows that I am capable of doing them.
I have many mentors now, but one of my first mentors is Amine Zariat, a former professional basketball player who was part of a program called the International Visitor Leadership Program, which is like the Global Sports Mentoring Program. Then he started the first basketball academy in Morocco, which has the same mission as what I am doing now with We Can Morocco. He opened many doors for me and I thank him very much.
Now, as a mentor to young women in your organization, what advice do you have for them?
It’s not always about having a good time and laughing when things are good. It appears when things are not right. It’s about supporting each other and the mission we have to make a better future for these girls and our community.
