Mahanoe was sick of being the new girl all the time. She was born in a small town in Lancashire, England, but moved around a lot after her parents split up.

Moving from place to place made Mahanor feel like she was constantly starting over.

Each time she had to introduce herself to new people and try to make friends. And then, even when she did start to meet people, she didn't always fit in. Mahanor was Muslim and South Asian and there were a lot of cultural expectations about how a young

woman should behave.

Girls were supposed to be quiet and conforming and

and Mahanor was neither of the two.

Mahanoor wanted so badly to feel like she belonged.

Then one day, when she was about 13 years old she got a surprise that changed everything.

A group of young people sporting Nike track suits and huge smiles came to Mahanu's school for a special presentation.

Who's up for a game of football? they asked.

And Mahanor stood up, daring herself to say,

me. I'm Zera Jane Narkwe and this is Goodnight stories for Rebel Girls, a fairy tale podcast about the real life rebel women who inspire us.

On this episode, Mahanor from Football Beyond Borders.

Through the programme, Mahanor has learned to never give up,

whether on the pitch, in the classroom, or out in the world.

Football Beyond Borders, also known as FB, began in 2011, when two friends who love to play football

started coaching kids in South London.

They didn't just work on dribbling, passing and scoring though.

For every hour the kids were out on the pitch playing.

They also got an hour of homework tutoring

and emotional support.

This way, FBB could give students the help and motivation they needed to do well in school and have fun after class.

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