Young female athletes’ aspirations are realized thanks to City players and Etihad Airlines

Abu Dhabi- Asdaf News:

For four talented female players from the United Arab Emirates, the sky is the limit after a trip of a lifetime made possible by Etihad Airlines, the national airline of the UAE, was made possible by an invitation from Manchester City Women.
The mid-week coaching in Abu Dhabi for the girls, Madiyah, 12, Meriel, Sura, 11, and Zarah, 9, who all attend the City Football Schools in the UAE, normally concludes with a tactical de-brief.

The girls were thrilled to receive a personal message from Australia’s Hayley Raso and the England Lionesses, Chloe Kelly and Lauren Hemp, on International Women’s Day, inviting them to join them as Manchester City matchday mascots for the Women’s Super League match against Arsenal at the Academy Stadium on the Etihad Campus in Manchester.
The players, their parents, and coaches were scheduled to take an eight-hour journey that evening from Abu Dhabi International Airport to Manchester, but the girls were unaware of this.

The young female players were given behind-the-scenes access to Manchester City Women’s final practice before the game as part of the experience, and they were fortunate to have pictures and signatures with some of their club role models.

Georgia Bainbridge, City Football Schools Coach, said, “When we were told about the surprise and asked to put forward four girls, Madiyah, Meriel, Sura and Zarah immediately sprung to mind. They have demonstrated fantastic skills and potential, but their attitude to training is outstanding and something all the coaches at City Football Schools in the UAE really admire.

“We want to continue to inspire our female players and promote women’s football as much as we can in the UAE which has been helped massively following the Women’s Euros and Chloe Kelly’s winning goal. She’s a player the girls admire and hope one day to emulate so having the chance to watch her and the rest of the team train before meeting them was incredible.”

Before leading out the team as match day mascots in front of a sell-out crowd, the girls also toured the Etihad Stadium along with the home dressing room, where screams could be heard around Manchester as their personalised matchday shirts took pride of place.

Amina Taher, Vice President Brand, Marketing and Sponsorships from Etihad Airways, said: “The UAE places a strong emphasis on elevating the role of women in society and as the national airline we are fully engaged with this mission. We’re proud to work with our long-standing partners City Football Group to champion the inclusion and empowerment of young women ahead of this year’s International Women’s Day.
“It was an honour to fly Madiyah, Meriel, Sura and Zarah to Manchester to visit the Etihad Stadium and meet their Manchester City heroes.”–WAM