| | Mercy Corps > Topics > Children > Gooooal! Iraq's Footballers Inspire Youth |
 | | Members of the local football union quickly traveled to Baghdad to meet with the team, and arrangements were soon made to bring four of Iraq's best-known players down to south central Iraq. |
 | | For four days, the national team members gave skills-based training as well as theoretical lectures on topics including the life of a professional footballer, new training techniques and rules of international competition. |
 | | For many Iraqi youth, particularly those in urban areas, insecurity is a constant backdrop to their daily lives, but playing football remains a pivotal part of adolescence, and a pastime that seems unaffected by the growing pains of a nation in transition. |
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