This Sabahan Girl Got To Train With An English Football Club. Here's How She Made The Cut
Growing up in a remote area in Sabah posed numerous challenges for a young girl from Sabah, but that did not stop her from chasing her dreams of playing football.
Published for Sponsored , 26 Feb 2015, 12:03 PM — Updated over 9 years ago
Hellma Emily Joinin didn't think growing up in a remote area in Sabah would be a problem for her. She had dreams she wanted to chase.
Going to school is an adventure on its own. Before hostels were built to accomodate students from remote areas, Emily said it would take them NINE hours to get to SK Magandai... which is 100KM away from where she lives!
On rainy days, the kids would have to continue their journey barefoot to avoid slipping on the muddy roads.
Despite the hardship, Emily lives by her mother's words - "if you want to be successful, you have to put in plenty of effort". Last year, she made history as the first student in her school to obtain 5As in the UPSR examinations.
Emily's love for football was cultivated two years ago after watching her father playing with his friends, calling it "Wah, best nye!" Later on, he would be the one who taught her skills like shooting and dribbling.
In 2013, it was a dream come true for Emily when she was chosen to participate in a football camp that brought 32 Malaysian youngsters to Cardiff, where they trained under professional coaches from Cardiff City Football Club
This year, Emily will be returning to the football camp, not as a participant, but as a mentor to other young aspiring footballers like her
