Give it a try: Dubai teams report surge in girls playing ‘male sports’ like rugby
Sports teams in Dubai have observed an increase in young girls seeking to play rugby and football, which coaches attribute to the rise of inspirational female athletes.
The interest is also being driven by wider access to complexes, coaches, girls-only teams, clubs and competitive leagues in the emirate, they said.
Emirates Dubai 7s is one event with growing appeal. Alongside rugby, the annual event, which is held each December, now hosts five sports tournaments during the festival.
Since 2022, female participation in netball events rose by 23 per cent while rugby registered a 21 per cent increase.
In the ED7 multi-event fitness challenge, known as Wodon3, 43 per cent more girls and women signed up to take part last year than in 2022.
Alex Cook, 35, who works in the commercial department of ED7, said the increase in female sporting role models had inspired younger children to take part.
“Women’s rugby, in particular, is one of the fastest growing sports,” said Ms Cook, who is also captain of the UAE Women’s sevens and Dubai Hurricanes rugby teams.
“That can be down to quite a lot of reasons, such as all of the media attention that women’s rugby is getting now.”
She said it had grown annually in terms of participation.
“The sevens series now has 12 men’s teams and 12 women’s teams, so there is equal participation,” said Ms Cook. “That’s just brilliant for sport because now people can see women playing rugby on TV.”
According to World Rugby, female participation rose by 7 per cent last year to about two million players.
The number of active registered female players was up by about 34 per cent to 319,966 last year, with a 53 per cent increase in female participation overall. Participation was measured through engagement programmes, such as those at primary schools or club level. The number of top-level games also increased to 100 test matches last year, further increasing exposure to women’s sport.
“A lot of people I grew up playing rugby with are now people’s idols or role models in sport,” said Ms Cook, who is from Calne, near England’s rugby stronghold of Bath. “As a kid, you’d only look up to men because those were the only ones you would see. Now, young girls have women to look up to.”
Football in Dubai is also registering an increased interest among young girls.
In 2018, Dubai Irish Football Club had a vibrant under-18 programme but the number of boys playing regularly each week far outnumbered girls.
Since then, thanks in part to the high-profile successes of the England Lionesses football team at recent World Cups and European Championships, the club now has a dedicated female division taking part in competitive matches.
“The girls’ side of things has grown rapidly,” said club chairman Tony Christian. “We’ve created an environment where girls can come along and play, even if football isn’t their first sport. Historically, football would have been perceived as a male sport. Now those shackles are being shaken off and girls are seeing football is as much for girls and can get involved.”
Female participation at the club has grown considerably to 150 regular players today, from six in 2018. That has led to a dedicated team for young girls called the Pink Shamrocks, who turn out against other female-only sides across Dubai.
Despite increased participation, the women’s game has reported a disproportionate number of knee injuries. While kit suppliers are slowly beginning to make team strips specifically for women, most football boots are designed for men.
The disparity has been blamed as a contributing factor in the high number of knee injuries in the women’s game.
Research found women are up to six times more likely to tear anterior cruciate ligaments in their knees than men, with experts saying landing patterns, running action, bone density and hormones all contribute to greater risk.
Despite the potential for knee injuries, Mr Christian said low club fees and a high number of volunteers were keeping participation rates high.
“We’ve got more than 60 different nationalities playing with us and we’ve provided a comfortable environment for them to play in. This is probably the first season where we’ve got girls all playing in a weekly league. And that gives the girls something to aim for.”