The First Goal

Introduction

Hi all! I hope you like this story, please let me know if you have any feedback! 

First some backstory on the characters: 

Amel Öztürk

Age: 22
Hometown: Born and raised in the Netherlands, originally from Izmir, Turkey
Current Location: Istanbul, Turkey (for a year-long internship at Galatasaray FC)

Occupation: Intern in Sports Marketing at Galatasaray FC

Appearance: Brown hair, warm brown eyes, 1.60m, with a fit, average build. Her style is simple yet chic, reflecting her blend of Dutch practicality and Turkish flair.

Personality: Intelligent, assertive (an Aries through and through), ambitious, and refreshingly direct. Though she comes across as pragmatic, she's secretly a hopeless romantic and has a love for poetry and old-school romance novels.

Backstory

Amel grew up in the Netherlands in a loving Turkish family originally from Izmir. Her parents moved to the Netherlands before she was born, and she was raised in a neighborhood with a mix of Dutch and Turkish influences. Her family made sure she was deeply connected to her Turkish roots, visiting Izmir nearly every summer and instilling in her a deep love for Turkish culture, food, and language.

Amel excelled academically, always a high achiever who balanced her Turkish heritage with her Dutch upbringing. Her personality—intensely driven, honest to a fault, and sometimes blunt—made her stand out among her peers. She could be competitive, a trait that often set her apart, especially in the male-dominated field she was drawn to: sports marketing. This passion stemmed from her love for sports, particularly soccer, which she and her father bonded over from a young age, cheering for Galatasaray together every season. For Amel, soccer was more than a game; it was a piece of home and identity that made her feel close to her roots even from afar.

A year ago, Amel was on a flight back to Istanbul after a summer in Izmir when she struck up a conversation with an older man sitting beside her. He was well-dressed, with a manner that was both charming and intimidating. After a while, he revealed that he worked for a sports agency connected to some of Turkey's top football clubs, including Galatasaray. Amel's enthusiasm for sports, her impressive knowledge of European football, and her articulate way of discussing marketing strategies left an impression on him.

By the end of the flight, he'd offered to introduce her to someone at Galatasaray who could help her secure a once-in-a-lifetime internship in their marketing division. Though skeptical at first, she followed up and, to her amazement, the connection panned out. With her family's blessing, Amel decided to take a gap year to immerse herself in the Turkish sports scene, specifically with Galatasaray—her father's (and now her) favorite team.

Her life in Istanbul

Moving to Istanbul alone was harder than she expected. She rented a modest apartment in a neighborhood buzzing with the sights, sounds, and scents of Turkish culture, far removed from the structured life she had in the Netherlands. The first few days were filled with homesickness, made harder by the intense demands of her internship and the weight of the expectations she placed on herself.

In Istanbul, she found herself battling loneliness for the first time. Used to her family's warmth and familiarity, she had to learn to be completely independent and resourceful, navigating the city's complexities while learning the ropes of her new role in a male-dominated field. Being a young woman in sports marketing was tough; she often had to deal with dismissive attitudes and condescending remarks. However, her resilience and quick thinking earned her the respect of some colleagues, even if she still felt the need to prove herself every day.