ABU DHABI: The athletes who competed in the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy GCC Volleyball Cup now hope for more such successful contests to help grow the game.
The inaugural edition of the event at the end of August saw six teams participate from the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
The sides included the UAE’s FBMA Team, Sharjah Women’s Sports Team and Al-Wasl Club; Kuwait’s Salwa Al-Sabah; Saudi Arabia’s Noura Club; and Bahrain Club, who went unbeaten to emerge champions at the Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Arena.
The five-day competition was launched by the FBMA to provide game time for women. There were impressive team and individual performances, with players welcoming the opportunity to gain crucial experience against top players.
Al-Wasl’s Alaa Al-Hashmi, who was part of the team that ended in third position, thanked the FBMA for hosting the cup and said the experience against tough competition will help improve her game.
“I want to say a big thank you to the FBMA, partners and volunteers for making this event happen,” she said. “The tournament was well organized with six top sides in the GCC region able to compete in a competitive tournament.”
“I’m really proud to have played here and happy that there is a high standard of volleyball players, which is good as it will help grow the game. The number of players is increasing day-by-day and I’m really happy to see this,” Al-Hashmi said.
“Third place is not something we are used to as we usually come first in our competitions. But every tournament is different and this event was not easy in any way. Every match was difficult but more importantly we all enjoyed it.”
Ruqaya Al-Balooshi who played for the FBMA Team, was pleased to test herself on a competitive stage and is hopeful the cup can be a permanent fixture on the sporting calendar.
“This was the first time that we’d played in a regional tournament as a team. We entered the event having done one week of training camp. We gave our best and we all gave a good performance,” she said.
“This is just the start and hopefully every year or every two years, there will be opportunities to compete in tournaments like this as it’s a great platform to play and learn. We learned a lot and gained a lot of experience and this will help us a lot going forward.”
Triumphant Bahrain Club coach, Younis Al-Haddar, said the event was crucial in helping promote the game across the region while also benefitting the national teams.
“This was a good opportunity for Bahrain and all the teams to be part of this event,” he said. “We hope that this takes place again next year as it was a great chance to get some really good experience and matches against top players in the region. As a team, we play a lot of games in Bahrain and this type of tournament will help benefit the national teams.”