Finding a home on the field

How Football United helped Elizabeth Boachie find her place

For Elizabeth Boachie, football has always been more than just a game. More than just one ball, two goals and a cluster of people running around a field. 

For Elizabeth it’s been a language, a home and a source of hope.  

From being born and raised in a refugee camp to becoming a leader and coach for hundreds of young people, she has seen  how the community that football creates can transform lives. And not just her own. 

Elizabeth didn’t see much of the world outside of the Krisan Refugee Camp in Ghana until she migrated to Australia at 13. 

“Back in the camp, football was a language I spoke fluently,’ Elizabeth said.

“But coming to Australia, everything was different. I didn’t feel safe, I couldn’t speak English, and I didn’t want to put myself out there.” 

It was her father who helped to bring Elizabeth out of her shell in her new surroundings – with a helping hand from the beautiful game. 

He took her along to a football session ran by Common Goal community organisation Football United and, despite Elizabeth’s initial reluctance, what she saw when she arrived changed everything. 

“It was mind-blowing,” she said. 

“For the first time, I saw a hijabi-wearing woman coaching football. African girls and boys playing together, people speaking different languages and l united by football. 

“Seeing that diversity, seeing a woman in a leadership position – that made me feel like there was a space for me. 

“It was the first light after coming to Australia, and it followed me through, even through all the awkward teenage years.  

“No matter where I went, I reminded myself that there’s a space for me somewhere.” 

From that moment on, Elizabeth was hooked. 

She joined Football United in 2009 and the organisation has become a family matter. Her siblings took part in sessions and her father went on to become a coach. Football United offered more than just a place to play football, it became a space where Elizabeth belonged. 

The organisation works to build opportunities for young people in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region, providing safe, free, and accessible spaces to play football as well as building up players to become coaches, role models, and leaders in their community. 

They collaborate with Creating Chances to extend this space to hundreds of schools across Australia. Creating Chances are a project that specialise in evidence-based programmes that promote positive youth development through sport. 

“Football creates an even playing field,’ Elizabeth added. 

“Regardless of your abilities, language or background you can just play. It’s a glue that connects people, communities and cultures. One ball can change lives.” 

Football United didn’t just provide Elizabeth with a community, it helped to shape her future like many young people before and after her. She pursued a Bachelors in Social Science before embarking on a Masters in Social Work, driven by a desire to give back to a community that embraced her. 

Today she’s a coach and head facilitator, helping to create the same safe and inclusive spaces for young people that once changed her life through Football United and Creating Chances, everything is done through the ‘magic of football’. 

Reflecting on a young boy she has worked with in her programme who was known for outbursts and causing fights, Elizabeth saw how the impact of football and a safe and nurturing environment could change everything. 

“He became my voice on the field. He’d yell, 'Boys, listen up, Liz is talking!' Seeing that transformation, seeing young people realise their worth — that’s why we do what we do,.” Elizabeth continued. 

Elizabeth’s story is one of resilience, hope, and the profound impact of football. She continues to build pathways for young people, reminding them that they, too, have a space to belong. “I had that opportunity, and it changed my life. Every young person deserves the same, if not more.” 

From the refugee camp to the football field, Elizabeth Boachie is a living testament to football’s power to create home, connection, and endless possibilities. 

Find out more about Football United and Creating Chances - https://footballunited.org.au/