Sharifah Nur Amanina, better known as Nina to her friends and teachers, is a natural on the football pitch. The 16-year-old got her start in the sport by playing it under her void deck when she was in Primary 4.
She had watched videos of famous footballers and found herself wanting to emulate their skills. Every day when she returned home from school, she would sit at her void deck to watch a group of boys play football. They later invited her to join them, and she recalls with embarrassment that she initially could not kick the ball straight. After playing with them every single day for about a year, Nina slowly got better at the sport.
Her first foray into the football pitch
In Primary 5, her PE teacher informed her about an upcoming 5-a-side football competition, organised by the Football Association of Singapore. Nina convinced four schoolmates to join her for the competition at the Jalan Besar Stadium, and that was the first time that she stepped onto the football field.
“I was actually impressed with myself because I found that I could do all the skills I had been practising in the void deck,” she shares proudly. “It was also my first time wearing football boots, which my mum had bought specially for me.”
While her team did not qualify to the semis, Nina surprised everyone by winning the ‘Most Promising Player’ Award in the competition.
Captaining her team to the National School Games
Nina went back to playing football in the void deck for the rest of primary school, and later enrolled in Tampines Secondary School, which was close to home and more importantly, offered the Football CCA.
She was made Captain of the C Division team in Secondary 2 and later became Captain of the B Division team in Secondary 4. However, leading her team did not come easy to her.
“I felt a lot of pressure when I first became Captain. Some people told me it was easy, that my job was just to control the team,” she says. “But as Captain, you have to actually voice out instructions to your team. The first time I did that, my teammates told me that my voice wasn’t loud enough. It was hard for me because I’m an introvert, and I’m not the type to normally scold others.”
Nina shares, however, that she has learnt to be more vocal over the past two years. Apart from giving instructions to her teammates, she also motivates them when they are losing. “If they’re feeling down, I tell them to continue pushing themselves and not give up. I will also tell each of them that they’re doing a good job, so that they start feeling confident again.”
At the recommendation of her school team coach, Nina also started playing for clubs to gain more exposure to the sport and is currently with Geylang International Football Club. When she was in Secondary 3, Nina was invited by the coach of the Women’s U16 National Team to join them after having been scouted at a National School Games (NSG) match.
Having to juggle trainings from Monday to Friday (and even multiple training sessions some days) has been challenging for the Secondary 4 student, who took her N-Level examinations this year. She shares, however, that being Captain has taught her values like responsibility and resilience, which she applies in her student life as well.
“Giving up isn’t an option, as a Captain you have to make sure you really give your 100%. If you give up, your team will also fail,” she says. “As a student, I also have to be responsible by doing my schoolwork and staying focussed in class. It can be hard at times because my schedule is very tiring. I have to tell myself not to give in, even though I may be tempted to fall asleep in class.”
What keeps her going? Her family, friends and coaches
Nina credits her school team coach, Coach Farhan, for nurturing her to be the football player that she is today. She says, “When I first joined the CCA, I couldn’t give a power shot or dribble past players very smoothly. He spent time showing me the correct techniques and that’s how I became a better player. If I make mistakes, he’s also always there to correct me.”
Outside of football, Coach Farhan also introduced Nina to teqball, a football-based sport played on a curved table. She took part in her first overseas competition at the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia, and won the gold medal for Singapore at just 15 years old.
She shares that it is the support of her family, friends and coaches that keeps her going – whether in school, football or teqball. As Coach Farhan was also competing in the 2023 SEA Games as part of the Men’s singles in teqball, he was there to watch her play and keep her motivated. “There were many people in the stadium watching me play, so I was panicking inside. I was thankful that he was there to cheer for me and remind me to stay composed,” she says.
“I also had my family and friends supporting me while I was playing, as they were all watching me play on the livestream. Without their support and motivation, I wouldn’t have gotten the gold medal.”
