Women’s Football
Development
Background information for press release
10 May 2010
Contents
• Best Practice
• Background information
•
•
Women in sports
Women in football
• Future plans
•
•
Short term (2010)
Long term (2011+)
• Key points
•
•
Forming a committee
Formalizing a league
• Benefits
Best Practice
UN Sport for
Development and
Peace
FIFA
Qatar’s Perspective
Sport provides a vehicle
for achieving gender
equality and the
empowerment of
women and girls.
Increasing access for
women and girls to
physical education and
sport helps them build
confidence and
challenges gender
stereotypes.
Promote the
development of women's
football and support
women's football
financially and to give
women players, coaches,
referees and officials the
opportunity to become
actively involved in
football.
The future of football
is feminine. (Blatter)
Enhance women’s
capacities and
empower them to
participate fully in the
political and economic
spheres, especially in
decision-making roles.
Increase opportunities
and vocational support
for Qatar women .
3
Women in Sports and Football
General
Football
- Qatari women have been participating in sports
for the last thirty years
- Very high demand from females of all age groups
to open up football opportunities
- Qatar Women’s Sports Committee (QWSC)
established in 2005
- Backed by the Qatar Football Association (QFA)
- Funded by Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC)
- Talent identification session for girls across Qatar
under the age of 13 (including 100 girls from 10
schools)
- Structured training follow-up program for the
scouted girls
- Strong presence in the local and international
sports
- Sports include handball, volleyball, shooting,
basketball, table tennis and swimming
- Annual futsal tournament organized, open to all
women across Qatar over the age of 18
- Huge success in terms of participants and
audience
- Achievements have been participation at the
Olympic Games in Athens, Fifth Women’s
Tournament in the UAE, Muslim Women’s Games in
Tehran, and the Asian Games in Qatar
- An open football tournament organized once,
open to all women across Qatar over the age of 16
- Huge success in terms of participants and
audience
- One over 18 and one under 13 team exist
- Train regularly and take part in local and regional
tournaments
- Currently training Qatari women (via FIFA) in
sports management
- Qualified coaches and assistant coaches (Qatari
and non) present
- Women’s teams exist in several football clubs
4
Future Plans
Short term (2010)
Long term (2011+)
- Organize festivals and events locally to create
awareness and spread sports culture within the
community while maintaining customs and tradition
- Host an AFC Festival in Qatar before the Women’s
World Cup in 2011
- Hold local competitions between public and
private schools
- Build dedicated facilities
- Develop a specialized youth program
- Establish official national teams in all age groups
- Train Qatari women to become:
•Coaches of international standards
•Referees of international standards
•Sports management executives
- Host the U17 World Cup in 2020 and other
international events leading up to it
- Set up a structured training program for all age
groups
- Add football to the national curriculum at girls’
schools
- Participate in regional competitions
- Formalize the girl’s talent identification process
- Attend international training camps
- Host a variety of regional and international
competitions in Qatar
- Host international teams in Qatar
- Attend a variety of regional and international
football tournaments
- Formalize a structured women’s football league
including a minimum of five teams
Key Points
1. Forming a committee – A dedicated committee is being
formed from within the QWSC to focus solely on the
development of women’s football. The committee will be
headed by Ahlam Al Mana. The committee will take care of
the development of women’s football in Qatar, with the main
objective in 2010 being to formalize a league. The
committee will be under the umbrella of and report directly
to QFA.
2. Formalizing a league – A women’s football league will be
formalized by the end of 2010, including at least 5 teams.
Teams will be incorporated into the existing men’s clubs. All
teams will be under the umbrella of and follow the
guidelines of QFA.
Benefits
• Tackle and eliminate social restrictions on women participating in football
• Give girls a chance at a young age to recognize and nurture their football talents
• Provide women with an organized football entity through which talent scouting and
football related activities can be developed
• Create employment opportunities for women in the field of sport
• Positive public image
• Indirectly benefit youth football development
• Football is promoted to a new market segment, which has the potential of influencing
many aspects of daily life such as youth, health, gender equality
• Regional collaboration opportunities are created and encouraged under the football
umbrella
• Immediate and long term benefits to women in terms of maternal health and self esteem
• Precede other nations in the region in the establishment of an official and registered
women’s football league