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Al-Ahram Weekly 18 - 24 March 1999 Issue No. 421 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 18 - 24 March 1999 Issue No. 421
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Features Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Ladies on the field
By Dalia El-HennawyNine clubs stand to make history tomorrow when the first women's football league kicks off. League play will last six weeks and include 54 matches. Six teams -- Helwan, Maadi Sporting Club, Heliopolis Sporting Club, Tayaran club, Sayeda Zeinab Club and Maaden Club -- are from Cairo. Ismaili club from Ismailia, Semouha from Alexandria and Kafr Al-Sheikh round out the league.
Teams will be divided into three groups with the winners of each group playing against the other. If two teams end up with an equal number of points at the season's end, a play-off match will be held to decide the league winner. There will be no home or away games. All matches will be played in Cairo.
Earning points will be the same as in any league; the winner collects three points, with one point for a draw and none for the loser. Some women referees have been chosen, as have lineswomen.
"The objective of this first-time league is not necessarily to look for technical perfection, but to see how the clubs will perform and how to increase the number of players," said Sahar El-Hawari, president of the women's football federation and a FIFA member. "The aim is also to study this first experience and discover the positive and negative aspects which will be considered in coming competitions. The league in itself will help promote football among women in clubs, schools and youth centres," El-Hawari added.
The idea of a women's football league was launched immediately after the Egyptian women's team returned from their first African football championship last year. El-Hawari, who is also the national team coach, realised early on that a good national team would never be formed without a solid foundation of players chosen from throughout the country. This, she believed, could only be fulfilled through a national league. It was not lost on El-Hawari that many African countries had formed their own leagues as far back as 10 years ago. Once they were given the green light by the country's football federation, clubs started to prepare by playing friendly matches and small-scale tournaments in order to develop technical skills and to apply standard league regulations.
Next season, the start of the women's league will coincide with the beginning of the men's season, at the end of August. Although only nine teams will play in the league this year, the hope is that in the following year there will be more.
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