Tibetan girl chases her soccer dream

TIANJIN－On a soccer field in Tianjin, a petite Tibetan girl playing in a boy's team received a cross from a teammate, controlled it and sent the ball flying into the net.

Her name is Pubu Droma, an 18-year-old striker and captain of a men's soccer team at Nankai University.

Wearing a dark blue jersey with her lucky No 17 and a pair of neon green football boots given to her by her parents, Pubu Droma pursued her soccer dream and signed up for her school's freshmen football games as soon as she enrolled.

"My idol is Cristiano Ronaldo, who once wore the No 17 shirt. I hope this number can give me more power," she says.

However, her inclusion was not without controversy, as she was initially refused admission to the team due to her gender, and was ridiculed by several of her peers.

This upset her, but the school's football association decided to give her another chance and organized an online vote among the captains of all participating teams in the freshmen's league.

"Such a brave girl to compete with boys. I admire her spirit," one captain commented.

"I hope she can stay safe during the games. I'm with her," another said.

Pubu Droma received many expressions of support from other players and finally got the opportunity to be the only female player in a men's team.

She soon won over the doubters with her skills and enthusiasm on the pitch, in the process breaking down barriers and gaining respect.

"Soccer is a team game regardless of gender. Team members have to do their best for their team's honor and victory, as well as doing what they love," she said.

Dating back to her time at Lhasa No 1 Middle School, where her footballing dream began, she was busy preparing for the senior high school entrance examination, but she still practiced her technique by kicking discarded tin cans in corridors during break times.

On the campus of Nankai University, she soon had an opportunity to participate in her first game in a boy's side, and steered a shot into the net within the first few minutes.

"It encouraged me a lot. My classmates came to see my performance, and I received many compliments from them."

Inspired by Pubu Droma, more girls at the school started to play soccer, prompting them to establish a female soccer team with a professional coach for daily training sessions.

More recently, she organized an informal girls' soccer team at Nankai University, establishing a platform for many female enthusiasts of the sport.

"I didn't expect to see so many girls at our school loving soccer. About 50 girls join in and we conduct regular training sessions at weekends," she says, adding that she hopes this informal team can become the school's official women's soccer team in the future.

"I love football and hope it will spring up everywhere."