The assistant coach for the Al-Najma Bahrain Club men’s basketball team, Fatima Reyadh, poses for a photo during a practice session for the team at the club’s stadium in the capital Manama on September 7, 2022. – Fatima Reyadh overcame stereotypes to become the assistant coach of Al-Najma basketball club in Bahrain’s capital – and she has no plans to stop there. The 33-year-old, also a Taekwondo black belt, aims to be the head coach of the basketball team one day and then take home the national championship. (Photo by Mazen Mahdi/AFP)
It’s an unusual sight in the conservative Gulf state of Bahrain: a young mother on an indoor basketball court instructs male players.
Fatima Reyadh overcame stereotypes to become the assistant coach of the Al-Najma basketball club in the capital Manama – and she doesn’t intend to stop there.
The 33-year-old, also a Taekwondo black belt, aims to be the head coach of the basketball team one day and then take home the national championship.
“When I started my career, there was no level of acceptance like today,” she said during a training session with her seven-year-old daughter.
“The presence of women in sport is uncanny, especially in basketball, a sport that is considered a men’s treasure,” Reyadh said, sporting black leggings and a pair of sneakers. baggy gray t-shirt.
“There were concerns at first, but with hard work and dedication, I have shown that doubts about my ability to lead the team are unfounded.”
Today, she thinks of herself like “any other basketball coach — I believe in myself.”
Several countries in the region have sought to soften hardline images in recent years, promoting greater participation of women in the workforce, the arts and sports.
But it is unusual for a woman to rise to the top, and in the conservative Arab monarchies of the Gulf, Reyadh’s position is astounding.
‘Bold choice’
Reyadh inherited her passion for the game from her mother, who coached a women’s basketball team.
She began by training a team of young girls, then young men, before being recruited by Al-Najma.
Choosing her was “a bold choice and at the same time quite scary”, said the club’s technical director Raouf Habil.
“Communication was a bit difficult at first with the players, but later on it became a lot easier,” he told AFP.
Society in Bahrain is considered a lot more open than in other Gulf countries.
Official figures show that women, who make up 32% of the economically active population, held 54% of civil service positions between 2010 and 2019.
Of the government’s 24 ministers, four are women, although none of them hold significant portfolios.
Hussein Shaker, one of Al-Najma’s players, is staunchly supporting the team’s female coach.
“The talented Fatima Reyadh is an example of successful Bahraini women,” he said.
He said he hopes there will be “more examples” of women working with men’s teams in his country, noting that “I’m all for women in sport.”
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