Two weeks ago, the UAE women’s football team moved into the top 100 in the Fifa World rankings to reach No 73; the highest rated team from the Arabian Gulf, and second highest Arab team behind Jordan.
The rise came on the back of the senior women’s team’s participation in the Aphrodite Cup in Cyprus where they won one of three matches.
Meanwhile, the next generation is already being prepared for the future with the UAE taking part in the Under 14 West Asia Championship starting in Bahrain on Monday.
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While the news is welcome for Emirati football, these rankings are often purely cosmetic. Women’s football in the UAE is only just starting to take its first steps on the international stage.
“The game is starting to spread but it needs more hard work and patience,” said Belhassan Mloush, head of the technical committee at the Football Association.
“The girls’ team is new, a result of the FA’s intensified efforts to discover talent whether in schools or at clubs and training academies.”
Even more encouraging are the steps that the FA has taken to build the game at grass-roots level.
Last month saw the start of the 2015 IPIC Women’s Football League season. Organised by Abu Dhabi Sports Council and the FA, the eight-team league is made up of established local clubs, B teams and independent expatriate sides. Matches are played over two 35-minute halves.
The country’s oldest club, Al Nasr, has for the first time introduced a women’s football team.
Some games have been one-sided but there is plenty of optimism about a league that is only in its third season.
More significantly for the long-term future of women’s football in the UAE is the continuing progress of the youth leagues, which are also in their third seasons. Both the U16 and U14 competitions kick off today with teams made up of schools, clubs and training centres.
The ultimate goal is to produce and promote a steady stream of Emirati talent that can progress through the ranks of international football.
Already the FA has thrown its support and resources behind age-group national teams. As part of the preparation for Bahrain, the U14s over the last week took part in a friendly tournament that included Nitra of Slovakia and Jitex of Sweden.
“We held this tournament so the players can get a feel for international football and as preparation for the West Asia Championship,” Muslim Ahmed of the Women’s Football Committee (WFC) said.
“The schedule will be tight in Bahrain as they will play three matches in three days, have a day’s rest, and then play on the fifth day. That was replicated at the tournament.”
After a tentative start, the Emirati youngsters did well.
In their opening match, on April 8, they lost 2-1 to Nitra. There was a huge improvement intheir next match: a 5-0 win over Jitex.
That was backed up with a 2-1 win in their second match against Nitra. The team concluded the matches with a 3-2 loss to the Swedish team last Sunday.
Already the likes of Salha Rashid and Alanood Khaled Fakher have stood out with their contribution and goals.
“The team came out with a lot of positives from the friendly tournament, especially as they faced teams with more experience in European football,” said Alia Al Hussaini, another WFC member.
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