SNS x Fryshuset

Introducing Farhiya Abdi

Together with local Fryshuset, a place where basketball is celebrated and sports connect people, we want to introduce you to the people that drive the location. Women and men that have made a name for themselves all over the world and originally come from Fryshuset and always come back there.

Basketball, sisterhood and the importance of showing the next generation of young girls that everything is possible

Farhiya Abdi is one of Sweden's best basketball players and one of five Swedish players who have ever played in the WNBA, the Women's National Basketball Association, the USA's largest basketball league. But for this legend from Enskededalen and Fryshuset basketball is much more than that. It has given her a sisterhood for life, a penchant for veganism and a second home that has enabled her to focus on being the best and showing the next generation of girls that anything is possible.

This is the first part of a series of articles Fryshuset does together with SNS - Sneakersnstuff, where we get to know some players in Fryshuset Basket's community and tell stories based on their passion and in their own words. All photos are taken by Adrian Pehrson.

SNS: What does basketball mean to you?

Farhiya: I think most people have pretty limited thoughts about basketball. They only think about sports. For me, basketball has meant everything. Not just in sports, but in life. Basketball has affected me on all levels.

I think of all the people I have met, cultures I have experienced. Through my travels and through the basketball club. When I think back on it, I had a blast to play and grow up in such a mixed environment, with all kinds of people. This was the case both in Enskededalen and at Fryshuset. It is extremely important not to have to doubt one's identity in that context, not to feel looked down upon or to be "the only one." Instead, have people you can relate to, who can relate to you, and accept you for who you are. To be educated in a club and in a house based on that - then you can focus on basketball and on becoming the best. And set high goals for yourself.

The sisterhood I carry with me from basketball is also very special. We travel together, play together, live together. It’s like a sisterly relationship, with someone you may never have met otherwise, and that community lives on, whether you play or not.

On top of that, as a professional and elite player, I now have the opportunity to be a role model and a sister to the next generation. Many Somalis, young girls, sometimes with veils, write to me and do not think they can get all the way. They are so young; they should not have to choose between religion or sports. Basketball Sweden must be open to all young people. They must all be given the same chance to let the talent determine how far they can go.

How come you decided to go vegan?

Something I would never have thought basketball would give me is a life as a vegan. It started with me not feeling so well, I had joint pain and had to take painkillers before the matches. So in the end, I tried not to eat chicken and meat for a month. I immediately felt a certain difference, so then I continued with my "experiment" for a whole year. The body felt so much better. It has only helped me move forward and made me better, on and off the court. Had I not gotten enough food in me, I would have felt it on the court, so I make sure I get enough.

What does the relationship with Fryshuset Basket look like today?

I am very proud to come from Fryshuset. I do not know what it would have been like if I had played in a club that had not had others like me. Then maybe I needed to think more about it, about what it meant, about responding to those thoughts, now I was one of many. And Fryshuset still is a safe place for me, knowing that I have a place to come home to when it’s off-season as a professional. It's like a second home where I can always go to and train, and know that it feels like home.

What tips would you give other young people, to dare to continue, to succeed?

Practice your weaknesses and get exposed to them. So many girls are afraid of making mistakes, one maybe doesn’t like to dribble with their left hand or do not dare to play one on one as there is a risk that you can lose. Even in the women's team there is that fear. You do not want to train on center-court, on the best spot, because everyone can see what you are doing. You miss so many chances to get better if you do not dare to bring out your weaknesses, and practice them. So, make mistakes, laugh at them, and dare to do them again.