ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - SV Azadi, a Kurdish football club in Germany, has gained attention for its rapid rise in German football, evolving from a dream shared by friends into a team that now attracts Kurdish players from around the world through long-term goals to expand its activities. "There was no Kurdish community like this before, there was no place for Kurds to gather and get to know each other, so we founded the Azadi team. We wanted to create a home for Kurds, so they could get closer and build relationships, a place that would be special for Kurds," Azad Miran, founder and player of the SV Azadi, told Rudaw’s Diaspora program that aired on Friday. Founded in 2016 by three friends in Germany, the Kurdish football team SV Azadi has risen through the ranks to reach the Verbandsliga, the sixth-tier league in the German football system. It has become a symbol of community, cultural identity, and sporting success in the diaspora. Miran emphasized that SV Azadi aims to become the “biggest Kurdish sports team in Germany,” with goals of securing its own stadium and achieving full infrastructural independence. SV Azadi player Aland Khalil described the Kurdish team as a “family,” saying, “We are friends and brothers to each other, and if any of us has a problem, we all help together.” Born from the dream of three friends, SV Azadi brought together Kurdish players from all four parts of Kurdistan - Turkey, Iran, Syria, and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq - embarking on a remarkable journey of unity and success. With challenges they are facing such as verbal harassment and insults from other teams, the team's coach Niwar Jasim said, ”It’s important to control yourself, be strong and not listen to them, just focus on the game.” "Our plan is to gradually start creating youth and children's teams. For our first team, I hope in the next five years we reach the Oberliga level, which is the fifth tier of the German league system," he noted.
