From Rock, Paper, Scissors to Pro Football: Za'Khari Turner’s Remarkable Journey

Za'Khari Turner tells Lara Alsaid about how she was scouted for the Bermudian National Team without ever having been to a football training, all in result of a game of rock, paper, scissors

Za’Khari Turner is enjoying the sun with her friends at the All-Star Football Tournament. She’s sat on the grass while her classmates are kicking the ball around and warming up. She isn’t paying much attention, she’s thinking about the track and field training she has later, she needs to be in form as she’s going away to compete internationally. She hears the whistle for the All-Star game blow, but no goalkeeper is in sight. She knows what’s coming, someone is going to force her into the goal, and she was right. Za’Khari was forced to a game of rock, paper, scissors and lost which means that she is now standing in goal, slightly annoyed.

What Za’Khari doesn’t know is that in 60 minutes, the Bermudian National football team coach will offer her a spot on the national team. She also doesn’t know that she will not be attending her track and field training later. In fact, she doesn’t know that she will become a pro footballer in an hour, without ever having had proper football training.

Za’Khari is now 21 years old and living in Leicester, UK, while completing a bachelor’s in law. She has made over 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 or Leicestershire Division 1. She grew up in Bermuda and had played professional football since the age of 15, the same year she tried football out. Za’Khari was a runner with the Bermuda Pacers Track team, she travelled internationally and competed against different countries and won numerous medals. When it was off-season her 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 school for football in Bermuda. The goalkeeper never came so Za’Khari and her other friend did rock, paper, scissors and Za’Khari lost which meant that she had to go in goal. But after that day, the Bermudian national football team scouted her, that was her big leap. Za’Khari was on the National team even though she never had been to a normal football club.

“What seemed like a loss in the moment was the start of a whole new chapter of my life,” she says with a smile on her face.

“If I didn’t lose the rock, paper, scissors I would have played on the pitch and who knows what would have happened?

“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 U15 all the way to the Women’s team. When she first started at 15 years of age, it wasn’t as demanding, training was after school hours, so Za’Khari even continued with track and field on the side, until there came a day when she had to choose.

“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.

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 Queen 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 14 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.

Photo by Romy Hares

The same year Za’Khari decided to leave track and field behind, she moved to Florida 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. Scouts were hungry for her, and 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.

“It makes one feel grateful for the blessings I have.”

After high school, Za’Khari came to the UK on a scholarship to play professionally on 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 Lighting

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 had done. She has also just 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 that 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 had done when she was 15.

Photo by Romy Hares