Ogling men 'putting us off playing netball'

Dubai: Angry netball players say men, who have been spotted touching themselves inappropriately while watching them play matches, could jeopardise the future of a popular sport in Dubai.

The women claim the men hide in the shadows and behind skips and fences around the two outdoor courts at the Dubai Exiles Rugby Club.

Women's netball in Dubai is played by women of all nationalities. With 19 teams in the league and four match nights a week the well-established sport has grown rapidly over the past 30 years. More than 80 women take to the courts four nights of each week to play matches alone.

Members of the Dubai Netball Committee as well as representatives from the Exiles Rugby Club say the problem has been getting worse over the past few months and that something must now be done.

One woman has been banned from playing netball by her husband after he watched a man touching himself while following his wife around the netball court with his eyes.

Player and umpire Elizabeth Davies says the problem has escalated over the past few months. She says in a matter of months she experienced two incidents first-hand and feels anything which could be done to correct the problem would be welcome by all.

Shocked

"Whilst waiting to umpire a netball match I was in my car in the parking area. I was on the phone so not particularly concentrating on anything until a gentleman caught my gaze. He was behind a skip close to the courts and behaving inappropriately.

"Shocked at the public display in an area where young children come to watch their parents play, as well where schoolgirls and adult women play I approached him to tell him to stop and go away. Before I could get close enough he ran off. I later saw him watching another match. I reported this to the Exiles staff who acknowledged that this was an ongoing problem."

She added: "The other issue is being harassed by these people. One night I noticed a young guy leaning against my car whilst I was training. Jokingly I asked him to move.

"On returning to my car 30 minutes later he was hanging around and my previous comment must have been taken as an invitation to bombard me with personal questions such as do I have a boyfriend, how long have I been in Dubai, how long have I played netball...

"I practically had to jam his hand in the door to get him to back off... As a player and umpire it is very off-putting to be stared at from the sidelines to the point of feeling quite self-conscious and totally uncomfortable about what these gentlemen are thinking about whilst they watch.

Secretly undressed

"Nothing is ever said by them but it feels like you are being secretly undressed by their eyes. I will also think twice about chatting with any spectators in future."

Kelly Cook, Chairwoman of the Dubai Netball Committee. said: "We are communicating with the staff at the Exiles to see if anything can be done to monitor the men coming into the rugby ground, however we also feel with so many sporting activities going on each night, this will be almost impossible.

"It is difficult to single people out and we cannot make wild accusations against people who may be there to watch the games."

A skilful team game

Netball is a fast, skilful team game based on running, jumping, throwing and catching. Teams may include up to 12 players but only 7 may take the court at any one time.

The major aim of the game is to score as many goals as is possible from within an area called the goal circle. Only two players from each team may score goals, the goal attack and goal shooter. The ball is made of leather, rubber or similar material, weighing 400 to 450 grams. The court is divided into thirds. There is a centre circle with a diameter of 0.9 metres and two goal circles which are semi-circles measuring 4.9 metres in radius. A game consists of 4 x 15 minute quarters with an interval of 3 minutes between the first and second and third and fourth quarters and a 5 minute half-time interval.

Source: www.netball.org

This is in response to the letters written about dress code. Whether it is a Muslim country or not we should not forget that they are playing netball which requires players to dress accordingly. UAE is a multicultural society and that is why it attracts people from all over the world. If people feel it is against their religion then they should not go there at all. Let people like me and others enjoy the game (I am a National also) and a very realistic one at that.
Salim Bastaki
Dubai,UAE

There is no excuse for this deviant behaviour period! It is sexual harassment that should be punishable by law.
Lisa
Abu Dhabi,UAE

I seriously feel half the people who have written their comments here are wrong. Some sports require men and women to wear bare minimum clothing. Since Dubai is a Muslim country, are women banned from swimming? Or are they forced to wear some dress covering head to toe before entering the pool? When people can be open minded to accept that, why not accept the way the netball players need to dress? Rather than just blame the players, it would do justice to remove these uncouth elements from such sports arenas. They should be named and shamed.
Karthik
Dubai,UAE

I do understand that it is uncomfortable to be stared at while playing, one suggestion would be to find another area for soccer, rugby and netball for women. We have to be encourging women to participate in outdoor sports. Not throw the problem back at them and let them deal with it! For all those men with the angry comments I would tell you that there are veiled women and they still are reported to be stared at or even violated by indecent gestures by men. The ladies playing netball are dressed up for the game and only at the premises of the club and not walking around on the streets!
Alia M.
Dubai,UAE

Netball is a game which I have followed for many years in Dubai. Ladies have to wear short skirts for convenience while playing the game. Even if they cover up the perverts will not stop there activities.
D Sarath
Sharjah,UAE

Whether a man is a bachelor or not is not any excuse for ungentlemanly behaviour. A woman should not be pilloried for playing healthy sport whether in shorts and tee shirts or bikini!
G Fergusson
Edinburgh,Scotland

Very interesting article and comments. I wonder if this can be solved so easily. This has to do with the current men/women ratio rather than netball.
Tom
San Francisco,USA

Beauty is to be admired, but there is a decent way to do it. This kind of overt behaviour from men should not be tolerated, particularly in a cosmopolitan society that is today's Dubai.
Satish
Fort Lauderdale,USA

If you dress badly you attract the attention of bad people. Try to dress decently in a Muslim country and don't spoil it for others.
Mohammad
Dubai,UAE

People need to adjust to the place they live. You are in a Muslim country so should cover up if you don't want the attention. This behaviour occurs everywhere.
Ben
Chicago,USA

At least these women are 'scantly' clad within the confines of a sports arena and not roaming the streets and in the shopping malls. I won't even comment on some of the chauvinist comments made.
WY
Dubai,UAE

I am a local. A Muslim. I do not think it is an excuse for these men to act in this sickening way just because we are in a Muslim country. I have seen Muslim men doing worse to fully covered veiled men in the global village.
Alaa
Dubai,UAE

First of all we should only allow members in the club and not allow any men on the grounds. It's a shame that in such a developing country, there are animals who behave like this. It's shameful for Dubai.
Yasmine
Dubai,UAE

It's wrong and inappropriate that's true, but we cannot just blame them; it's the whole system.
Mohammed
Abu Dhabi,UAE

This problem is common in Dubai, whether it is a netball ground or beach or shopping mall or public park. Women should not expose themselves publicly as they are in a Islamic country.
Mohammed
Dubai,UAE

The police and government have better things to do with their time and money than to police netball matches. Expatriates are here for work and play time comes second.
Ahmed
Abu Dhabi,UAE

I think if the present condition grows at the same speed, it would be better for decent people to leave Dubai as early as possible.
Jnai
Dubai,UAE

When in a western country Muslims always get lectures on how to 'integrate'. Well any westerner who comes here has to 'integrate' too. Therefore they should dress appropriately.
Abdula Wahab
Dubai,UAE

Western/European women not dressed conservatively in the Middle East can create as much a stir as conservative Middle Eastern veiled women can now create in the west! Once again proves the age old proverb - when in Rome, do as the Romans do!
Rajesh
Dubai,UAE

I think if Dubai is to become international then one cannot stick to irrational notions. Everyone has to have the freedom to wear sports gear. However, educated and mature men should know how to behave properly. I am a male and give due respect to women, the same is expected from everyone.
BPS
Dubai,UAE

This is totally disgusting. You can't just blame women for wearing clothes such as this.
Dorothy
Dubai,UAE

I think security people need to be employed to weed out the perverts causing distress to so many women simply enjoying a team sport.
Sara
Kuwait,Kuwait

How can some people say that the girls' clothing is the culprit in this particular situation. The men HAVE to be accountable for their reprehensible conduct. The women have uniforms designed to be flexible and easy to move in for the sport. There is nothing sleazy about it. It is the men that have to be reprimanded. It is simply an unacceptable thing, IN ANY COUNTRY.
Felyne
Sharjah,UAE

The UAE has undertaken a policy of openness towards all cultures and nations; these women have not broken any laws, but these men certainly have.
Marcus
Dubai,UAE

I respect the player's comments. I think that outdoor practice grounds should be fenced by a thick net cover (as in construction site) up to 10 feet high.
Mohammad
Dubai,UAE

A good alternative will be to ear mark some places exclusively for women. This will help female sportswomen and women spectators get their private space.
Fahim
Singapore,Singapore

The police department should take serious action against these kind of men.
U.V.A. Kutty
Ajman,UAE

My wife is involved in the Netball scene here in Dubai and I have attended many matches held at the Rugby club. In my opinion the only way to stop this from happening is to have tighter control on the entrance (which is kept permanently open) or employ security.
Mark
Dubai,UAE

Those ladies who play netball while wearing shorts should realise first of all that this is a Muslim country and it is an offensive dress to wear in public in the first place. There are thousands of bachelors around and the ladies expose their bodies in public - what do they expect?
Zainudeen
Abu Dhabi,UAE

In this part of the world with so many bachelors in an ultra-conservative setting, such behaviour is the result of sudden exposure to cultures that are alien. In other Western countries, a scantily clad woman hardly invites a second glance.
Ismail
Dubai,UAE

There are so many of these type of men in Dubai. It makes you wonder how their mothers brought them up. The police do very little. Women here get a very raw deal; men just can't control themselves. It's pathetic.
Jojo
Dubai,UAE

Bring in some big men to sort out this problem. Just have them standing around when the girls are playing.
K
Dubai,UAE

Well, I suppose the source of the problem is these women being skimpily dressed to begin with. The UAE, being an Islamic country, should not allow such sports to be played by women in the open. Most of the men in this country are bachelors who are more likely than not oppressed in some way and far from their families. In reality, being men without an outlet to express their desires I understand why they resort to such despicable acts.
Abdul
Dubai,UAE

My brother plays baseball at the metropolitan grounds. Their matches are followed by women's baseball and you always find men touching themselves and passing rude comments.
Faiz
Dubai,UAE

Dubai has changed for the worst in the past three years. Walking is also tough. At night I can't walk near the Al Ain Centre in Bur Dubai because I was asked several times: "How much?" Some men will stop their cars to ask me the same question. The police should apply rules of conduct for people.
Fukawa
Dubai,UAE

I have played netball since 8 years of age and never have I felt as uncomfortable attending training and matches as I have here in Dubai. It is a shame because as a player and a coach, I'd hate to see women walk away from the sport.
Leese
Dubai,UAE

These perverts need to be dragged into the town square and humiliated.
G-Unit
Dubai,UAE

This sounds very cheap, so obviously witnessing such a scene might be even more disgusiting. If strict action is not taken, a reputed country like the UAE will be known for desperate men.
Deepak
By e-mail,USA

I think the organisers should seek the help of the police in such cases.
NRS
Dubai,UAE