Spurred on by their coach, Christian girls kick the ball around a field in Iraq's Bartalla, a former jihadist stronghold where football is inspiring them to. In 2014, the Islamic State group seized control of the town when they swept through the northern province of Nineveh, before subjecting women and girls to its rigid interpretation of Islam. A football academy opened its doors to girls six months ago equipped with an astroturf pitch, thanks to funding from an Iraqi non-governmental organisation. "Here we do everything to teach young girls the basics of football," says coach Joanne Yusef Chaba. The coach, a 22-year-old physical education graduate, says her dream was "to start a women's team that will compete in the future". IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES