SK Trefa: Football Girl Power

TEXT: MARTINA FRIDRICHOVÁ
PHOTOGRAPHY: SHOTBY.US

The amateur women’s football team SK Trefa was founded in spring 2018 by Hana Kuncová, a former Radio Wave editor. Hana recalls, "At the time, I had been following the English Premier League for a while and was rooting for Liverpool. But the idea of playing myself never crossed my mind." While covering a protest event called "Football Against Tourism," which highlighted how Prague’s city center was becoming uninhabitable due to the influx of tourists, she had a breakthrough. The event was organized by the Environment Studio from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Brno and took place on the cobblestones near Wenceslas Square. After collecting material for her report, she put her recorder away and joined the game. “After two hours of chaotic running after the ball, exhausted and sweaty, I realized that this was something I needed to experience again.” She tried playing with friends, but it wasn’t the right fit—the game was too aggressive. "Most of them had been playing for years and saw football as a way to release their energy and frustrations. They would often curse at each other... So I decided to start my own team. I posted on Facebook: 'I’m starting a women’s football team. If you don’t know how to play, that’s fine—we’ll teach you. The highlight of the season will be participating in the Anti-Racism Tournament.' I hoped a few girls would be interested, but the response was immediate, and soon there were over a hundred of us in the group."

Queer or Straight, Don’t Be a Hate

Today, the team has around 350 members. The players see Trefa as their "safe space," a place where they don’t have to worry about embarrassing themselves, even if they’ve never played football before. "My goal was to create a friendly environment for all women who want to play, whether they’ve encountered football before or have never kicked a ball in their lives." Many of the players came to Trefa with bad experiences from other team sports. "We grew up in a society extremely focused on performance and results, which took a toll on us. But I only realized with Trefa that I could engage in an activity, whether it’s sports or art, purely for enjoyment, without having to be the best. And for that, I’m very grateful," says Hana, a former professional figure skater. Expat women often join the game as well, finding a supportive community in Trefa. Lidia, a film producer from Serbia, adds, "I was looking for a team where I could play football. The friendly and welcoming atmosphere at Trefa suited me perfectly, and I immediately felt welcomed and accepted."

Although SK Trefa is primarily a women’s team, non-binary and trans players also feel comfortable and accepted within the group. The team prides itself on being open to people of various beliefs, backgrounds, identities, and orientations, emphasizing mutual respect, solidarity, and understanding. This inclusivity is even evident in the description of their Facebook group.

"Football has broadened my horizons. It’s taught me to collaborate better with others—I enjoy passing the ball to another player, giving them the chance to score a goal. When I started five years ago, I was quite shy, both on the field and in my personal life," writes Trang Vu. It's refreshing to see these sentiments applied to a sport like football.

"For me, the most important thing is that we’re all equal. No one tries to show off, and we all support and help each other. Beautiful friendships and even romantic relationships blossom here," says Agáta.

★
LOVE FOOTBALL, HATE RACISM
★
GIRL POWER
★
SOLIDARITA

Over time, the players at SK Trefa have improved their technical skills. Since the team’s inception, they have had three different coaches, but eventually, the players themselves took over the training sessions. Hana explains how things work now: "For several years, Dominika Dlauhá has done an excellent job leading the training sessions, as well as organizing the entire team. Sometimes, other players also take on the role of coach, which is both helpful and fun, especially for the less experienced players. We start with warm-up drills together, and only after that do we start playing."

 
Balls scatter across the field, and it transforms into a lively whirl of activity. We try passing to each other. I find myself thinking about the genes I got from my dad, whom I remember as a kid on the football field. I used to sit in a chestnut tree, cheering him on. Later, my dad pushed my brother into football, and it never even crossed anyone’s mind that I might want to play too. Thankfully, things are a bit different today, and youth teams are often mixed by default.

The football players strengthen their friendships and improve their skills not only during practice but also at regular retreats. They often head to the Lusatian Mountains, where there’s a field right behind the cottage. They even try playing full-squad football. "We go two to three times a year. In the summer, football is often combined with yoga since Alice is an instructor. In the winter, we go cross-country skiing at Žofka’s cottage," explains Michaela Doležalová, the founder of Jasna paper lanterns and a graduate of glass design at UMPRUM. She shows us how to warm up properly. We had previously collaborated with Míša during the LUSTR illustration and comics festival through Sport in Art.

Now we’re sitting on the ground, stretching out our tight muscles. Ouch. We’re instructed to pair up and practice passing with the inside of our feet. Josefína and I exchange a nod and step up to the line. We control the ball and pass it back. We’re doing pretty well—until it’s time to use our weaker foot. Next, we dribble between colorful cones and take shots at the goal. It’s liberating.