Pursuing the footballing dream in the UAE.
“We used to get just two sandals and mark the goals and then a ball; if you didn’t have a ball, we’d bring a little juice carton or bottle and play with that,” says UAE international footballer Areej Al Hammadi, reminiscing about her first forays into the beautiful game.
As she battled her brothers and cousins out in their garden in the city of Sharjah, reenacting dramatic moments of play from the ‘94 and ‘98 FIFA World Cups, the midfielder dreamed of representing her country.
The only difference was that unlike her male siblings, there was no pathway for girls to international footballing honours back then.
“When I was a kid, women’s football was non-existent. I didn’t know of any female football players, so I just watched the men’s teams. I watched David Beckham, [Eric] Cantona and I knew about Pelé.
“Growing up I would have learnt about them; how they aspired to be football players and I felt I could relate to some of the things they aspired to be.”
Finding a girls’ football team during her teenage years proved a huge obstacle, but Areej’s passion for the game never diminished.
The chance to play competitively finally arrived at the American University in Dubai.
With more exposure to coaching, Areej set her sights on making the national team and in 2015, a meeting with a friend at a tournament provided her an opportunity to impress the UAE selectors.
“One of the girls I used to play with in the Dubai Women’s Football Association League said she was training with the national team for a development competition in Cyprus. I asked if could I try out, so I met with the coach and I was told to come to training.”
A successful try out saw Areej attend football training before being asked by the league to travel for a few days.
A midfielder with more than international 50 caps as well as successful stints with Al Wahda and Abu Dhabi Country Club, Areej’s achievements are not only limited to the football field with a Guinness World Record garnered for hotstepping during the pandemic.
Honing her skills from her bedroom with the assistance of her phone to analyse her technique, Areej smashed the previous record of 56 bounces with 86 bounces.
“I was making sure it was a lot higher so it can’t be broken easily and I can enjoy it for a bit,” she laughs.
Now playing football with La Liga in Dubai, the dream of becoming a footballer for young girls is now more obtainable than ever she says with a raft of football teams and academies led by female coaches.
“It makes a difference that you can see a woman who plays football because if you see it, you can be it.
“You need patience, determination and courage. For me, having a passion for something that didn’t exist and pursuing it and believing in it, rewarded me in the end.”