In a spirited move to elevate women’s football to new heights, the Equal Opportunities and Gender Balance in Sports Committee of the Bahrain Olympic Committee convened this week with the trailblazing Shaikha Dwa bint Khalid Al Khalifa—chairperson of the Women’s Committee at the Bahrain Football Association—to chart a bold course for the kingdom’s female athletes. The May 5 gathering at Manama’s Olympic House was more than a meeting; it was a celebration of progress and a blueprint for future triumphs.
Alongside Shaikha Dwa, the dialogue was enriched by the presence of Shaikha Nouf bint Khalid Al Khalifa, as well as key committee members Salama Mohammed Atiq and Wafa Ibrahim Al Jazzaf. Together, they reviewed the current landscape of women’s football in Bahrain—a sport that has seen a remarkable 150% surge in registered players over the past five years—and looked ahead to a packed calendar of regional tournaments and international friendlies.
Rehab Al Malki, manager of women’s football at the Bahrain Football Association, introduced plans for a national youth league set to kick off this autumn, promising a pipeline of homegrown talent for the senior squad. “Our goal is to see a Bahraini woman lift the AFC Women’s Asian Cup trophy on home soil by 2030,” Al Malki declared, echoing the ambitious targets of Bahrain Vision 2030.
Adding a futuristic edge, Yasser Hadi—developer of the innovative “Malaeb” app—demonstrated how cutting-edge scheduling and logistics tools can streamline tournament planning, ensuring that every kick, header, and goal is captured, shared, and celebrated across digital platforms. Attendees were particularly intrigued by Malaeb’s AI-driven match highlights feature, which can automatically compile and broadcast key moments to fans worldwide within minutes of play.
This high-energy session underscores Bahrain’s commitment to not only leveling the playing field for women in sport but also to using technology and strategic partnerships to propel its teams onto the global stage. With the kingdom’s women already earning bronze at the 2019 West Asian Women’s Football Championship, the road ahead now gleams with promise.
As Bahrain marches toward the Sustainable Development Goals and Vision 2030, its female footballers stand poised to become symbols of empowerment—proof that when passion meets policy and innovation fuels opportunity, the beautiful game truly knows no gender.
