Finland's football association has begun offering a free sports hijab to any player who wants one, in a move designed to attract a greater diversity of players into the sport.
So far, the FA has distributed "dozens" of the headscarves, which are made out of technical, stretchy fabric, said Heidi Pihlaja, head of development of women and girls' football.
"In Finland, it's been really hard to get girls of immigrant backgrounds into football clubs," Pihlaja said.
We wanted to start this initiative to welcome everyone, regardless of your religion and whether you want to use a scarf or not
"So we wanted to start this initiative to welcome everyone, regardless of your religion and whether you want to use a scarf or not."
"It doesn't flap around as much as normal and you don't need to tuck it into your shirt," said Nasro Bahnaan Hulbade, 13, during a training session at her club VJS in Vantaa, in Helsinki.
"It's easier to run in it," said her teammate Kamila Nuh.
The girls have been playing for one and two years respectively, but said they were "happy and grateful" to find out from their parents about the free headscarves.
Pihlaja said that cultural issues and cost – rather than the headscarves themselves – were often the main obstacles to girls and women from immigrant communities taking up the sport.
But offering the hijabs has "a symbolic importance" to making the sport more accessible, she said.
Although the response has mainly been "really positive", the scheme has also received criticism "from people saying it demeans women or is bringing religion to the game".
A 2018 Pew Research Centre comparison found that Finland housed the strongest anti-Muslim attitudes out of 15 countries, while the far-right Finns Party is predicted to make record gains in the country's local elections later this month.
"We support every woman's right to choose themselves whether they use a scarf or not," Pihlaja said in response to the criticism.
"Where they want to use it, we want to show that they are welcome and that the headscarf isn't an obstacle."
Yet, although the FA's announcement prompted a flurry of negative comments on social media, the hijab scheme has not become a major talking point in the country of 5.5 million people, one of Europe's most homogenous nations, according to official statistics.
Finland's widespread anti-immigrant sentiment is currently less apparent in the footballing arena, where the men's national team – which comprises a number of foreign-background players – enjoys near-universal support.
This month, Finland will make its debut appearance at the European Championships, while the country's women's team has also for the first time made the Euro 2021.
In another move to boost equality, Finland's FA in 2019 removed the word "women" from the title of its top female competitive division, renaming it the "National league".
It also announced equal pay and bonuses for male and female players in the national team.
Wearing her VJS kit, the same colour red as that of her beloved Liverpool, Nuh said she "loves" football and "I'm not planning on stopping any time soon".
There still aren't that many female players in Finland, she admits, "but I want to be one of them".
The%20specs
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
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- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Never Look Away (Germany)
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THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
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Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
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Favorite movie: Braveheart
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Rating: 3/5
Ultra processed foods
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- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Factfile on Garbine Muguruza:
Name: Garbine Muguruza (ESP)
World ranking: 15 (will rise to 5 on Monday)
Date of birth: October 8, 1993
Place of birth: Caracas, Venezuela
Place of residence: Geneva, Switzerland
Height: 6ft (1.82m)
Career singles titles: 4
Grand Slam titles: 2 (French Open 2016, Wimbledon 2017)
Career prize money: $13,928,719
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
BMW M8 Competition Coupe
Engine 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8
Power 625hp at 6,000rpm
Torque 750Nm from 1,800-5,800rpm
Gearbox Eight-speed paddleshift auto
Acceleration 0-100kph in 3.2 sec
Top speed 305kph
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GAC GS8 Specs
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Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
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How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
