Banaat FC
| Full name | Banaat Football Club |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2023 |
| Owner | Budreya Faisal |
| Manager | Bacary Sagna |
| League | UAE Women's Football League |
| 2023–24 | UAE Women's Football League Division II, 3rd |
| Website | banaatfc |
Banaat Football Club (Arabic: بنات أف سي[1]) is an Emirati women's football club which plays in the UAE Women's Football League.
History
Emirati businesswoman Budreya Faisal, the CEO and owner of sports marketing agency Ghost Concept, initially planned to create a "fake" and online football club as a demonstration for the role of marketing aimed at clubs in the Arab world. Faisal also considered taking over a third division men's club and developing it.[2]
However, she changed her plan to set up a women's club instead after encountering an Instagram account called "UAE Women's Football" and take note the dominance of expatriate clubs in the UAE Women's Football League.[2] The team is hindered by a viewpoint that women's football is incompatible with Emirati society's conservatism.[3] Faisal asked for Pakistan national team player Maria Khan for help in setting up a team.[2]
Faisal founded Banaat FC on 2 August 2023 and was launched on 28 August, the Emirati Women's Day. Exclusively a women's club, the team is named banaat after the Arabic word for girls.[4][5] They aim to be the first professional women's football club in Dubai.[6]
They started in the second division of the UAE Women's Football League in the 2023–24 season. They finished third and won a promotion to the first division.[5]
In 2024, they secured a sponsorship from Nike; the first independent women's club in the Middle East and North Africa region to do so.[6]
On 4 January 2025, Bacary Sagna was announced as the new head coach of Banaat FC.[7]
Home venue
Banaat FC does not have its own venue and trains. It instead plays and trains at the United Arab Emirates Football Association's headquarters in Al-Khawaneej.[2]
References
- ^ "بنات أف سي؛ تغيير مستقبل كرة القدم الإماراتية للسيدات". Inside FIFA (in Arabic). FIFA. 28 November 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ a b c d Khaled, Ali (18 September 2023). "How Budreya Faisal is looking to rejuvenate UAE women's football with Banaat FC". Arab News. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ "Banaat FC - Changing the future of Emirati women's football". Inside FIFA. FIFA. 26 November 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ McAuley, John (15 September 2023). "Banaat FC: The UAE's 'game-changing' new club aiming to break barriers in women's football". N Sport. The National. Archived from the original on 24 September 2023.
- ^ a b Abulleil, Reem (31 October 2024). "UAE women's team Banaat FC seeking silverware in sophomore year". Arab News. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ a b "Trailblazing UAE women's football club Banaat FC announces groundbreaking partnership". Goal.com United Arab Emirates. 24 October 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ "Bac to the Future: Bacary Sagna joins Banaat FC". Banaat FC. Retrieved 2025-06-25.