By Amaechi Agbo

Super Falcons player, Onome Ebi has disclosed that she started playing football in her “mother’s womb, Bestchoicesports.com.ng report.

The Henan Huishang of China defender said that despite starting to play football very early in her life, she faced parental challenges as her father never approved her being a footballer.

She noted that each time she was denied going out to play football, she would fall sick.

The former Bayelsa Queens defender however, said her father later agreed to allow her play football but after she had fallen sick and was admitted for four days in the hospital.

“I play for Super Falcons of Nigeria. I started playing football from my mother’s womb like I always tell people that ask me. Because when I was so little I found myself kicking everything I see on the street. I kicked stones, oranges. In my street when they are playing guys competition, they always included me to play with them.

“Challenges are there because female football is not always easy and you have some of these challenges. The one I had that really touched me and almost got me stop playing was my parents. They really wanted me to stop playing and focus on my education. They thought that playing football was affecting my education and they really wanted me to become something else not a footballer.

“But I made them understand that this is what I love doing and I cannot stop it. There are times when they will stop me from going to training and I will fall sick. The next thing is that they found me in hospital bed.

“My Dad got worried and realised that there is nothing he can do to stop me from playing. The last time I was admitted in the hospital, I was to spend two days but I ended up spending four days. That got him very worried and concerned about what I wanted to do being a footballer.

“After my school days he would allow me to go when the manager of the team I played for came to ask for me, to ask them to release me to play with them. That was how my dad left me to play football,” she said.

She however expressed hope to upcoming female footballers and encouraged them to aspire to achieve their dreams in spite of parental challenges.

“Female football now is really something interesting and if really it is what you love doing, I am promising every girl that will love to play football that they will enjoy it. They will enjoy playing and will never regret it. They should go all out for their goal and achieve it.”