Abu Dhabi : Dubai Educational Zone (DEZ) emerged champions of the first football championship for school girls in the UAE beating their counterparts form Abu Dhabi Educational Zone (ADEZ) 2-1 in the final held at the Abu Dhabi Armed Forces Officers club on Thursday.
The championship was the brainchild of the Women Football Committee of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, headed by Hafsa Al Ulama, and came only days after the UAE team won the West Asian Football Federation's third women's championship.
Teams from the educational zones in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah and the Western Region participated in the tournament. Fujairah EZ finished third after beating Al Ain in the bronze medal match with a single goal.
"The tournament was a total success and we are proud of the participation of the schools." Al Ulama told Gulf News.
"We are thankful for all those who helped realise this tournament, especially Shaikh Hazza Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of Abu Dhabi Sports Council who is the godfather of women's football in our country with his continuous support and unlimited help.
No dearth of talent
"The tournament has unveiled many talented players which will find its way to the UAE national women's team.
"We will take part in the GCC Women Sports Games in Abu Dhabi later this month and I am confident that our football team will achieve good results against teams form Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman."
Coinnie Selby, the Australian head coach of the women's team watched all the matches of the tournament and expressed her admiration for some players who might join the national team soon.