Over 100 teams from 50 schools took to the field yesterday as the first ever Dubai Schools Football Cup (DSFC) made a hugely successful start.
With a headline prize of a trip to watch Manchester United at Old Trafford there is sure to be a competitive edge over the next eight weeks of the tournament as 1,800 children battle it out across a variety of age groups.
And with the girls and boys playing alongside one another, there was certainly some friendly rivalry between the two groups on the pitches at Dubai Sports City.
Winchester School brought teams of boys and girls, and each side supports each other as their own. Leen Hajj, a star player for Winchester’s girl’s team, has been a football fan all of her life and as a United supporter and dreams of a trip to England, while also hoping to prove a point or two to her male counterparts.
“I have an older brother and he has always said that girls will never be as good as boys at football. I like to think I can show that anyone can be better than anyone.
“I want to show that girl or boy, gender doesn’t really matter.”
And she and her team-mates are glad of the opportunity to prove just how good they are – especially with the added bonus of making a few boys eat their words.
“It pushes us,” she added. “There are boys who say ‘you are good, but you’ll never be as good as any of us here’. So we are trying to show that we are as good as they are.
“There are places where girls can’t play a sport, so although I play because I enjoy it, I also want to show that football isn’t just a sport for boys.”
The DSFC wants to promote principles of sportsmanship and integrity as well as encouraging children to improve as sportsmen and women. And the show of support within schools for their teams was something extremely encouraging.
Mutza Hussain, a winger for Winchester boys, was in the stands at Dubai Sports City to cheer on his female counterparts, but couldn’t resist a little joke.
“We are cheering them on, we all want to be famous,” he said. “Of course, having a bit of a joke is necessary, it’s fun because they make silly decisions sometimes so we make fun – but we are still here to support them.”
DSFC organisers are keen to point out that the tournament is about making sure that children enjoy the beautiful game and learn life lessons like teamwork and application.
Tamara Mrad, 14, is a student at Lycée Francais International Georges Pompidou and she said: “Football has always been my thing and although I prefer Liverpool to Manchester United we want to do better than the boys and get to Manchester.
“That’s because they sometimes try to make fun – the place to show them is out on the pitch.”
For full results and league tables from the Dubai Schools Football Cup please visit www.dubaischoolsfc.com.
