WITH her bob hair and fresh looks, Nor Azrina Mohd Mustaffa looks like a fresh graduate, a 20-something kid, but there is an air of maturity about her as she performs on the field.
And she has amazing grit and stamina. It was Ramadan, the fasting month, but there she was working her heart out with the rest of the ladies on the field in Seberang Perai.
Determined: Nor Azrina Mohd Mustaffa is considered as one of the veteran players for the team now.
After a good two-hour workout in the blazing sun, while the others gulped down the isotonic drinks, she abstained.
“I can stand until evening, and I will break fast with my husband and children,” she said.
Children? For someone who looks 20?
“No, I am 37 and I am married with a 13-year-old son and nine-year-old daughter,” laughed the Malaysia Airports customer service officer. “I actually took up football after watching my son play futsal.”
Azrina, who is from the island started out as a netball player, representing her school Methodist Girls School. She also played hockey but football was not on the agenda – although she had wanted to play – because her father would not allow her.
However, her father was very much into football. “He is a coach with the Ramblers team in Penang but he felt football was not for girls.”
After she got married, her husband Abu Hurairah – a manager at Cititel – had no problem with a wife who played football. So, she decided to lace up her boots and guess what? Her father presented her with her first pair of boots.
But first she had to find a team to play for. Azrina said that she scoured Facebook for news about women playing football and came across posts from the Penang Indian FC group about a women’s team.
She got in touch with team manager Sri Shankar who welcomed her into the team and she was all set. That was four years ago and she is something of a veteran now.
Even during the movement control order period, she kept healthy and went through exercises that were drawn up for her. Her ball juggling skills are quite impressive too.
“I really want to have a healthy lifestyle. I guess that is one of the reasons I still look young,” she said, adding that she was very keen on football now.
“That is why I am willing to make the sacrifice and come for training in the hot morning sun even during the fasting month. But I do hope we can have evening training sessions, at least once a week. That way, I can buka puasa after the training,” she said.
Azrina has certainly made a lot of strides in those boots from her dad. Last year, she played for Real CJFC in the National Women’s League, Northern Zone, which was played in Taiping. However, an injury put paid to her campaign.
But she’s not about to give up. She believes she still has time to prove herself and then, maybe turn to coaching.
And she remains very keen to stay in football. She has already earned her D licence and can train children under the age of 12. She plans to continue and earn a licence to coach senior teams by the time she is 40.
“I will probably stop playing football when I am 40. Then, I want to be the coach of this team. PIFC is my team and I want to do my best for it,” she said.
You can hold her to her word. After all, she has been voted the most committed player in the team.
