An amazing opportunity for girls of all ages who love football presented itself for a select few female footballers in the UAE last week.
England and Manchester City female superstar Jill Scott teamed up with Invictus Elite Academy and UAE Football Association to bring female footballers an opportunity to be coached by herself and ex- Manchester City Ladies Academy coach of 10 years Sam Brown.
Jill and Sam were also be joined by the first female footballer from the UAE to ever play professionally abroad, and former Player of the Year Nouf Al-Anzi who delivered a unique experience for the girls.
In a question and answer session the pair discussed their challenges of being female footballers at a young age in places where female football was developing and the various comments and emotions they had to endure to eventually reach the levels of success they are now at.
“The camp is a small step in the right direction for the big picture of female football development in the UAE.” states Coach Sam Brown, who is currently Head of Football at Invictus Elite Academy. Invictus Elite Academy is the only place in Dubai to offer a full-time sports and education program.
Sam adds “The Women’s Football Committee UAE and Houriya Taheri are doing a great job in promoting the sport and making high- quality competition and coaching more readily available. We’ll continue to assist them in any way that we can.”
Director of Invictus Elite Academy, Vitor Figueiredo says, “Jill and Nouf are both exceptional, international players who have given up their valuable time to inspire both local and expat girls to pursue football. We are extremely proud to give this unique opportunity to all female players in the UAE and not just our own Invictus players.”
Jill, who has over 130 Caps for England, has played in 3 World Cups and represented Team GB at the Olympics in London, was impressed by the level of talent and commitment of the women’s football. She is interested in coming back for another camp in 2019 so keep your eyes peeled.
If you’re interested in participating in women’s football in UAE or in the Invictus Elite Academy full time sports and education programme get in touch with Coach Sam Brown on 058 538 1041 or check out our website – https://www.invictuslearningcenter.com