Bahrain Club crowned champions of FBMA GCC Volleyball Cup for Ladies tournament

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Bahrain Club defeated Sharjah Women’s Sports team in an entertaining final to win the inaugural Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy (FBMA) GCC Volleyball Cup for Ladies.

In front of hundreds of spectators at Abu Dhabi’s Jiu-Jitsu Arena, Bahrain Club put on a dominant display to overcome Sharjah Women’s Sports team 3-0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-13) to claim the winning trophy. The result meant they ended the tournament with a 100 per cent winning record after four victories.

Bahrain’s Muneera Abdullah Salem was emotional following the triumph. She said: “It’s a feeling that I cannot describe. Although it wasn’t the first time that we have won a tournament this victory feels different because we are a team with a mix of youth and experienced players so it’s a joy to emerge champions in this GCC event. This is a huge honour and a big achievement and everyone played their part.”

Earlier in the day, Al Wasl Club claimed third place after beating FBMA Team 3-0 in the third/fourth-place match.

Among the attendees to watch the final day were FBMA officials including FBMA Members Talal Al Hashemi and Naema Al Mansouri, representatives from Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, and Burjeel Holdings.

During the awards ceremony, they were among the guests to hand out personal accolades to those that impressed during the tournament.

Sharjah’s Fatima Al Thabit was named Best Blocker while Bahrain Club’s Muneera Abdullah Salem won the Best Attacker award. Her team-mate Marwa Majeed Momin picked up the Best Setter award while Most Valuable Player went to Sharjah’s Alia Naser.

The matches brought the FBMA GCC Volleyball Cup for Ladies to a conclusion following five days of action which saw six teams across the region compete. The tournament which was organised as part of FBMA’s on-going efforts to nurture local talent and provide regular opportunities, attracted teams from the UAE (FBMA Team, Al Wasl and Sharjah Women’s Sports Team), Kuwait (Salwa Al Sabah), Bahrain Club and Saudi Arabia (Saudi Noura Club).

Mariam Al Mansoori, FBMA representative said: “Thanks to the support of our valued partners, we have hosted an exceptional FBMA GCC Volleyball Cup for Ladies tournament. We congratulate all the players, coaches, officials and volunteers as this event would not have been possible without them.

“Over the last five days, we have not only witnessed some high-standard entertaining matches along with a number of exceptional team and individual performances but more importantly it provided an opportunity for teams across the GCC region to gain crucial competitive experience that we believe will help in their development going forward.

“It is our mission to help encourage females to play sport in the region while providing platforms to thrive and we hope the players’ participation can inspire the younger generation to follow in their footsteps which will help accelerate the sport’s growth.”

To help deliver a successful tournament, organisers Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy forged key collaborations with leading organisations across the UAE. Abu Dhabi Sports Council was the Endorsing Partner while the UAE Volleyball Federation and the International Vision Investment were the Official Partners.

Abu Dhabi Sports TV was the Official Media Partner, Presidential Court was the Platinum Partner, Emirates Transport was the Official Transportation Partner, and Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank was the Official Banking Partner while Burjeel Holdings was the Official Medical Partner.