{"id":5127,"date":"2025-07-03T10:33:03","date_gmt":"2025-07-03T01:03:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/?p=5127"},"modified":"2026-08-15T21:19:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T11:49:27","slug":"they-need-to-become-heroines-uaes-asian-cup-campaign-kickstarts-growth-journey-for-womens-football","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/they-need-to-become-heroines-uaes-asian-cup-campaign-kickstarts-growth-journey-for-womens-football\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cThey need to become heroines\u201d: UAE\u2019s Asian Cup campaign kickstarts growth journey for Women\u2019s Football"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cMy real journey began when I was told, \u2018Football\u2019s not for girls\u2019,\u201d said Areej Al Hammadi, the United Arab Emirates\u2019 (UAE) Women\u2019s National Team\u2019s (WNT) star midfielder.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLike most kids, if you tell me I can\u2019t have something, I\u2019ll go after it harder.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But even that determined little girl could never have imagined that she\u2019d be wearing her national team\u2019s jersey one day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing up in Sharjah, the serene, north-easterly neighbour of Dubai, Al Hammadi had no access to youth academies or girls football leagues. She started out with \u201ca ball and no instructions\u201d, relying on casual kickabouts with her brothers and cousins to develop her raw skills.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her university days, spent at American University Dubai, finally opened the door to competitive play. Rising to prominence as the captain of her university team during the 2008-2009 seasons, her passion and love of the game rendered her a standout performer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFootball felt natural. I loved the competition, the intensity, the skill, and the sense of freedom and belonging that came with it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Describing herself as a \u201ccreative by day, footballer by night\u201d, Al Hammadi has spent the last 15 years since graduation finely balancing the pursuit of her visual communications career with membership of various football leagues in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, her first cap proudly won in 2015 with her appearance at the Aphrodite Cup in Cyprus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThere were times where I questioned everything,\u201d Al Hammadi said, reflecting on the hard work and sacrifices it took to succeed during this period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLate training after full-time work, missing family events, sacrificing time in general \u2014 but I kept going because I couldn\u2019t picture life without football in it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, after a decade of representing her country professionally, Al Hammadi feels more energised than ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The arrival of Vera Pauw, the famed Dutch coach who has taken women\u2019s football to new heights in several countries across the globe, is one of the biggest reasons for Al Hammadi\u2019s optimism. Moreover, she believes the upcoming campaign could be the start of a new era of growth for women\u2019s football across her country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVera brings not just experience but belief,\u201d Al Hammadi said. \u201cShe challenges us and has brought a new structure that\u2019s rooted in discipline and identity. There\u2019s a strong focus on understanding our roles and raising our standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe\u2019s helping us see ourselves as serious contenders, not just participants.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pauw famously guided Ireland to the 2023 FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup and while she\u2019s approaching the Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers with her usual tactical attention to detail, she sees that campaign as part of a much bigger journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the support of a passionate local team with diverse expertise, she wants to build better talent development structures and capture the imagination of young girls around the UAE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThere\u2019s so much to achieve here, to create space for girls to experience their own strength\u201d Pauw said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor us, the qualification campaign is a tool to grow the game and become visible \u2014 so young players, kids, can aspire to something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the outcome, Pauw said that their contests with Vietnam, Guam and the Madlives are a vital opportunity for promising talent to gain the international experience they\u2019ve been missing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about football capacity \u2014 how often can we make the right decision faster than the opponent?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe players are excited\u2026 there\u2019s some very good players [in the squad] and a few [talented] players that need to [grow] into international football. We will do our best [in these games] and we\u2019ll see where we end up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women\u2019s football took a huge hit in the UAE during the Covid pandemic and in many ways, it still needs time to recover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAfter Covid, women’s football collapsed. We had a professional league, all players were paid. Then everything disappeared. It had to be built from scratch,\u201d Pauw explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThere is a generation gap \u2014 a few diehards from before Covid, then a big hole, and now very young players.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pauw has been impressed by the swift rebuilding of women\u2019s leagues at every level: senior, U17, U15, U13, grassroots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s thanks to the efforts of Amal Hasan Abu Shallakh and Alkabi Abdulrazzaq from the UAE FA Board and Management, and Houriya Al-Taheri and Noura Almazrouie, who are putting excellent foundations in place for both seniors and youth development.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She believes strongly in keeping this local expertise right by her side, crediting her cultural sensitivity to studying Hofstede\u2019s cultural dimensions, a theoretical framework emphasising appreciation of the unique parameters of each country\u2019s values and communication styles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t [just] bring my own culture. I build from the local culture and try to work from there\u2026 I ask \u2018please keep me on the right path\u2019, because it is never easy to see and feel the strengths and sensitivities of another culture,\u201d Pauw said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMany coaches bring their whole staff. Then when they leave, it all collapses. I start from the culture and build from there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, for women\u2019s football to reach new heights, Pauw believes the team must find a way to have stronger cultural and mainstream impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWe need to become visible. How can a young girl choose football if she never sees it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSome players didn\u2019t know who Sam Kerr is \u2014 not from lack of interest, but because it\u2019s not on their screens\u2026 the UAE will become a strength in West Asia, but it takes years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese players need to become heroines in the country. That\u2019s the most important thing right now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The signs are positive so far, with Al Hammadi witnessing significant growth in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s gone from whispers to real conversations,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTen years ago, saying \u2018I play football\u2019 as a woman raised eyebrows. Now you see girls wearing national team kits, joining academies, dreaming of playing abroad.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite some level of stigma remaining, Al Hammadi and her teammates are determined to keep breaking barriers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe still see the negative comments on some platforms, and media coverage is better but limited. But the support from families, friends, and those who follow the game closely is growing and that means a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abu Dhabi Country Club\u2019s recent run to the quarter-finals of the AFC Women’s Champions League grabbed numerous headlines, putting UAE women\u2019s football sixth in Asia and first in the Arab world at club level. Al Hammadi was a key member of that heroic team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you\u2019d asked me five years ago what my dream was, I would\u2019ve never imagined that we would be in the AFC [Women’s] Champions League. That was surreal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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She sees no reason why this success can\u2019t now be replicated by the national team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis squad has grit and potential. There\u2019s hunger, there\u2019s unity, and that\u2019s a great environment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe still have a long way to go, and we\u2019re behind where we should be, but even with all the challenges, we\u2019ve built a team that can compete and shake things up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Al Hammadi looks ahead to the qualifiers and beyond, she feels this campaign is about so much more than one tournament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To her, it is the beginning of a long but rewarding road, paving the way forward so that elite athleticism is a normalised career pathway for Emirati girls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want to see a fully professional league, packed stadiums, sustainable clubs, and Emirati players signing pro contracts and competing internationally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeyond that, I want to see decision-makers and sponsors understand the value of women\u2019s football and stop seeing it as a risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt should be normal. It should be supported, celebrated, and given the space to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Listen to From Dreams to Goals<\/strong> with Gina Bagnulo and Anirudh Nair<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n