Not only has the French team gotten a unique taste of Papua New Guinea they have also shared their friendship and culture with everyone they meet.
The French greeting, Bonjour, is now popular, whenever team France comes across any smiling face, in the stadiums, on a match or any other gathering they attend.
It’s been more than a week since arriving in PNG, and though language may still be a barrier, this group of young women believe, there is one language, they have in common with everyone, football.
As their ever smiling Captain, Thea Graboval said, their passion for football brought them all the way to PNG.
Graboval, a Physiotherapy university student, urged anyone who loves football to try it out; and see where it takes them.
She, got into football when she was six years old, joining a nearby club and started playing.
In the team as well are 19-year-old twins, Defender and Forward Estelle and Delphine Cascarina, whose football passion started at an early age, due to their older sibling’s influence.
The more vocal of the two, Estelle, urged all youngsters in Papua New Guinea to not hesitate to go for their dreams, you won’t be disappointed.
Both had to put their university Media studies on hold this year, to follow their passion for football. They said to represent their country at this World Cup is a dream come true.
Another key player who is vocal about women’s involvement in sports, is 19-year-old Goal Keeper ,Mylene Chavas. As a little girl, she started playing football with boys because it wasn’t really common for girls to play football back then.
When asked to describe her involvement in the sport, Chavas said, football is her passion and there is no better feeling than going out onto the field.
She encourages young girls to go out and get into football, get passionate and give their all.
