Growing up in Somalia, Zaynab Abdi loved watching boys in her community play football , but was never allowed to join in on their games because she was told, "it's not a sport for women." Sometimes, Zaynab would cover her hair or pretend to be a boy just so she could get away with playing with them. But, eventually the boys would catch on, tease her, or say that they were "ashamed to be playing with a girl." Years later, Zaynab's life was turned upside down when she was forced to move to Yemen , then Egypt, and then the United States as a refugee. Throughout this tumultuous time, f ootball remained a constant in her life.