We are seeking help for the family of Afghan soccer player Manozh Noori, who was one of more than 50 players and coaches evacuated from Kabul after the Taliban took over the Afghan capital in August 2021.

Manozh, 20, now lives in Melbourne, and after more than two years of waiting, her mother and three sisters will finally join her in February on humanitarian visas.

We firstly hope to raise $2800 for their exit visas from Pakistan, where they are currently waiting to fly to Australia.

But Zainab, 11, Zulikha, 13, and Zarifa, 24, will start school in Melbourne and while they are getting some assistance with housing, they will face many other costs - so we hope to raise more than $2800!

In just a short time, Manozh has already given so much to our community.

She coaches a weekly Go Soccer Mums program at Brunswick City FC, where the players (who are awed by her talent!) hope to support her through this GoFundMe as well as other fundraising efforts.

Any donations, large or small, will be sent directly to Manozh.

Playing soccer in Afghanistan, Manozh had to disguise herself as a boy, or play wearing a mask, because her brothers had banned her from playing sport.

Yet she kept playing, becoming part of the team that won the Afghanistan Women's Champions League.

Then in 2021, when international forces withdrew from Afghanistan, Taliban fighters quickly took over the streets.

If a woman was caught playing sport in Kabul, they would be arrested, kidnapped, raped, stoned or hanged, said Manozh.

Manozh had recently returned from playing with the Afghanistan National Women's Team in Tajikistan.

Fearing for her life, she locked herself in a room for a week, too afraid to step outside.

But thanks to the help of Khalida Popal and Craig Foster, she received a letter of evacuation support from the Australian government and was able to leave Kabul.

Now that her family is finally able to join her, Go Soccer Mums Brunswick hopes to help Manozh in any way we can.