Ajara Samba says she is combining her university studies, working and playing top-flight football in The Gambia to give herself as many options as possible in the future.
The soft-spoken 22-year-old plays for first division giants Red Scorpions in the Gambian women’s league and studies economics at the University of The Gambia.
She has already set her sights on breaking into sports administration in the future.
“That leadership barrier is what I want to break – that is why I’m juggling books and football so that when my football career ends the sport knowledge can prevail,” Samba told BBC Africa Sport.
“My aim when I graduate is to do few courses in sports like activity leadership, sports administrations and governance because I still want to be in the sport fraternity in my life after football.
“If all goes well I want get past the impediments in women’s football.
“We have (very) few (leaders) in the field of women’s football who can stand and decide which seeds will germinate so that is my aim.” (BBC)