Afghanistan's women's soccer team is set to return to the field in Victoria after their evacuation from the Taliban-led country last year.
A-League club Melbourne Victory are providing their support to the members of the team who relocated to Melbourne following the fall of the Afghan government in August, allowing the Taliban to take back control of the country after 20 years.
The team is looking to compete in Victoria's senior women's competition this year and held their first training session in Melbourne on Saturday morning.
"All the girls are excited about playing together again," team captain and goalkeeper Fatema said.
"We wanted to stay together as a team to show that the Taliban can take away our country, but not our right to play the sport we love and will ask for everyone's support so that we can continue our international careers."
The team will play under Victory's banner this year, with full support of the club's football operations.
Former Socceroos captain and refugee advocate Craig Foster said ensuring the players could continue their careers after being forced to leave their homeland sent a powerful message.
"Many great people and organisations played a part in their courageous escape but as they take the field again, we are reminded that their international careers have been obliterated by the Taliban," Foster said.
"Football cannot allow this to happen.
"Gender equality is a fundamental principle of international football and this team embodies this right. They are a powerful symbol of women's rights in Afghanistan and all around the world and that is something the game must protect."
The Afghan team was created in 2007 in a country where women playing sport was seen as a political act of defiance against the Taliban.
The team played their first official international in 2010 against Nepal and claimed their first victory with a 2-0 win over Qatar in 2012.
The rise of the Taliban and the subsequent escape of the players also led to the team withdrawing from qualifying fixtures for this month's Women's Asian Cup in India which doubles as a qualifier for next year's Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
"We aim to see them playing internationally again and hope that FIFA to allow them to compete," said former captain Khalida Popal, who played a vital role organising last year's evacuation.
"FIFA must not allow their rights as female footballers to be taken away as the rights of so many women and girls in Afghanistan have been."
