From rock, paper, scissors to pro-football

Za’Khari Turner tells Lara Alsaid how she was scouted for the Bermudian National Team without ever having been to a football training session, all because of a game of rock, paper, scissors.

Za’Khari Turner is lying on the grass enjoying the sun while her classmates are kicking the ball around and warming up for the All-Star Football Tournament.

She isn’t paying much attention. She’s thinking about the track and field training she has later. This is what matters - she needs to be in top form as she’s competing internationally.

She hears the whistle blow for the All-Star game, but no goalkeeper is in sight. She knows what’s coming. Someone is going to force her into the goal. And she’s right. Za’Khari is forced to play a game of rock, paper, scissors. She lost – and ended up playing in goal. She took a deep sigh, laced up her boots and put on a pair of borrowed goalie gloves.

What Za’Khari doesn’t know is that, just 60 minutes later, the Bermudian National football team coach will offer her a spot in the national team.

She also doesn’t know that she will not be attending her track and field training later. Her life is about to change. Za´Khari is about to become a pro footballer – after playing one game of football.

Za’Khari is now 21-years-old and living in Leicester, while studying for a degree in law. She has made more than 25 appearances in international matches for her country, Bermuda, spending most of her time on a football pitch - whether it is internationally, in the Welsh Premier League for Cardiff Met or Leicestershire Division 1.

Za’Khari grew up in Bermuda and has played pro-football since the age of 15, the same year she tried football properly for the first time. Before that, she was a runner with the Bermuda Pacers Track team, she travelled internationally and competed against different countries and won numerous medals. During the off-season, her athlete friends liked to play football, so she tagged along.

Za’Khari and her friends took part in a tournament called “All Stars”, which takes place every year to crown the best football school in Bermuda.

This is how – after the fateful game of rock, paper, scissors –Za´Khari ended up playing in goal.

It was the start of an unbelievable journey. Football has taken her all over the world and has become a huge part of her life.

“What seemed like a loss in the moment was the start of a whole new chapter of my life,” she says, smiling.

“I played in goal for the very first time and managed to do some impressive saves, that is when Naquita Robinson discovered me.”

Since that day, Za’Khari trained and played with the Bermudian national team from U15s all the way to the Women’s team. Football became all-consuming and she soon had to make a choice: football or athletics?

“I chose football because I enjoy being a part of a team instead of playing an individual sport. It was more exciting and motivating,” she explains.

Photo: Romy Hares

Bermuda is small so Za’Khari settled quickly into the team and, Dashun Cooper, who had started in the National team with Za’Khari, is now a coach at Queens Park Rangers. Cooper helped Za’Khari a lot at the start of her goalkeeper career. He was the one who taught her different techniques to approach a dive, how to protect herself from landing and how to kick the ball far. 

“He is a big person in my life when it comes to goalkeeping,” she says.

“As a beginner goalie, all I knew was that I must not let the ball go into the net, so I was just diving around at the start.”

It was a big jump, being 15 and playing against big teams like Barbados and the US. She forced herself to adapt to the new sport, as it all became very serious quickly.

She moved to Florida, aged 15, purely to focus solely on football and her studies. She was a prominent player in Bermuda securing the gold medal in the CONCACAF U15 championship the following summer. She caught the eye of many football scouts which was when she received a scholarship at IMG Academy in Florida.

Being an international player means a lot of travel. Za’Khari has already been to ten different countries with the national team.

“It has helped me see different places and open my eyes a bit more to the struggles people may have in the world,” she explains.

Bermuda played against Haiti once and some players had badly torn boots and couldn’t play unless they taped them up. “It makes me feel grateful for the blessings I have.” she says.

After high school, Za’Khari came to the UK on a scholarship to play professionally at club level for the first time with Cardiff Metropolitan University FC in the Welsh Premier League. Her adventures in Wales were short and sweet when she was offered to move to Leicester to play with River City and Loughborough Lightning.

This year, Za’Khari has helped River City secure promotion for next year and get one step closer to the club’s goal to pull them out of grassroots and into the WSL, just like Leicester City Women have done.

She has also recently started playing with Loughborough Lightning where she is surrounded by players who have played for Manchester City, West Ham and Leicester City.

“I’m around big players who bring a lot to the table and help me grow tremendously,” she says.

“The sessions at Loughborough are intense but it’s the best training I’ve had so far.”

She hopes to play in the Championship in a few years and is currently dual-signed with both River City and Loughborough, but she soon needs to decide on one of them.

Just like she did when she was 15.