The ‘Engineer a Better World’ competition invited children to design the first football kit for the Moon

Footballer Beth England (left) and aerodynamicist Sophie Harker (right) model the lunar kits designed by Erim Ali (centre left) and Ishaani Nair (centre right)

A colourful kit designed by an local schoolgirl could be worn by the lunar footballers of the future.

Talented 13-year-old and budding engineer Erim Ali beat over 500 other entries to design the kit and had her winning design presented to her by Lioness star Bethany England and aerodynamicist Sophie Harker.

The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)’s ‘Engineer a Better World’ competition invited children to design the first football kit for the Moon after IET revealed that humans could be playing a competitive game of football on the lunar surface by 2035.

Erim was one of two winners who got to have their designs made real and modelled by a professional footballer. The Enfield teenager counts astronaut Mae Jemison and education activist Malala Yousafzai as her idols.

Hoping to one day be an engineer, Erim’s belief that football should be for any gender, race or ethnicity led her to create a unisex kit with “geometric, molecule-inspired shapes in a muted dragonfly colour pallet”.

The judges were inspired by Erim’s ‘environmental considerations and the incorporation of an inventive, future-thinking sweat absorption and correction patch that would turn sweat into usable water.

Speaking of her win, Erim said: “As a Spurs fan it’s an honour to receive my winning shirt design from Beth England. The competition really inspired me to think big, be creative and show how science can change how we work, live and play in the future.

“Maybe one day I will get to wear the shirt for a kickabout on the Moon as 2035 is not that far away.”

The aim of the Engineer a Better World competition was to challenge “outdated perceptions of engineering” and show children how they could combine a passion for football and space with a career in science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem).

The other competition winner was Ishaani Nair, aged seven and from Coventry.

To find out more about the campaign, the Lunar Football Rule Book or information about Stem
Visit eabw.theiet.org

Dispatch readers are welcome to nominate their own ‘Edmonton Youth Hero’ – an inspirational young person (16 or under) from Edmonton who has made a valuable contribution to their local community. Simply email your nomination to [email protected]

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