Meet Player Niah!

 “Soccer isn't about playing great or winning. It's about learning, having fun and being the best you can be.”

-Niah Melk -Stephens from Our 09 Power Team

What’s your Soccer Story?

I was 4 years old when I started soccer. I joined because I wanted to play with my friends and ever since I started I knew I loved it.  

What has soccer taught you about life? 

Soccer has taught me that when you're on a team you should always help each other out.  

Have you ever been or felt discriminated against on or off the soccer field because of your gender or race? 

Yes, my friends and I asked to play soccer but the boys said that girls can't play soccer. I knew that they were wrong to say that girls can't play soccer. The coach made them let us. The boys know that it's wrong to call me out because I'm black but they still think it's OK to call us out for our gender.

How has being part of Girls Leading Girls helped you overcome a challenge or be a leader? 

Well obviously it's helped me overcome challenges because everyone there is supportive. As well as becoming a better soccer player, I learned to be a better teammate because sometimes I used to get mad if a teammate didn't make a good pass but now I realize that soccer isn't just about playing great or winning. It's about learning, having fun and being the best you can be. 

What do you think we need more of or less of right now in order to change the social injustices and racial inequality happening in the world? 

It's not fair that white people don't get judged but black people do. It's just not fair. We should all stop judging each other. We need to listen to each other.