Abu Dhabi: The UAE will host the West Asian Women's Championship in Abu Dhabi this October.
The women's national team won the championship in their first competitive showing in a multinational tournament last year.
In Focus: Focus on Abu Dhabi Sport
The tournament will be organised by the Women's Football Committee (WFC), headed by Hafs Al Ulama, UAE Ambassador to Montenegro. It will be followed by the first indoor women's football league.
The UAE women national team, with Australian coach Connie Selbe at the helm, have already started preparations as they seek to defend their title.
As part of these preparations, the team took part in a friendly tournament in April against Montenegro and Uzbekistan. The UAE won the tournament.
They also played two friendlies against Iraq and emerged victorious.
Talal Al Hashemi, vice-chairman of the WFC, said the team will hold a three-week training camp in the United States.
"The team will leave in June and will play strong friendly matches in a number of cities in the [United] States to gain more experience and to be ready to defend the title they won last year," Al Hashemi said.
"The training camp [has been] organised by the UAE Embassy in Washington. The delegation will include 24 players, in addition to the technical and administrative staff of the team," he said.
Al Hashemi said most of the players in last year's championship-winning side were still with the team and would take part in the Ramadan Games that will be organised by the Armed Forces Officers Club in Abu Dhabi.
The players include Horiya Al Daheri, Jalila Al Nuaimi, Halami Busitta, Asma Wadhih, Nadien Ashtiklif, Manar, Afra Al Adwawi, Ala'a Ahmad, Sara Hassanain, Maha, Haifa, Hamda Abdullah, Sameera Ahmad, Noora Al Mazroui, Nader and Manal.
"We have agreed with the UAE FA officials to start [engaging] Fifa about the friendly matches we play because that will give us a better ranking with Fifa and will allow us to have a better seeding in continental and international competitions and qualifiers in the future," Al Hashemi said.
To register
Entry in the new indoor women's league, starting this October, will be free and interested teams must log on to www.womenfootball.ae to register with the Women's Football Committee:
www.womenfootball.ae
Tel: 02-4445678
Fax:02-4446140
