Bahraini female athlete and assistant coach for the Al Najma Club, Fatima Reyadh, is a name you’re going to remember. This assistant basketball coach made headlines on Tuesday evening when she was put in charge of the Al Najma Team during a match against Manama Club after head coach Raoof Hubail was put into quarantine due to testing positive for Covid-19.
So, who *is* Bahraini Fatima Reyadh?
This exceptional woman is a basketball coach by night and an official at General Sports Authority by day. Not only that, but she’s a full-time single mother as well.
Fatima has been an assistant coach for the national women’s basketball team for a few years before becoming assistant coach to Al Najma Club. According to GDN online, this Bahraini female athlete, who has a black belt in Taekwondo and has been a part of the first national swimming team is the ‘only female assistant coach for men’s teams in any Bahraini national sports league.’
The apple certainly doesn’t fall far from the tree as Fatima grew up surrounded by sports. The Bahraini’s mother coached the ladies’ national team in Bahrain, and her twin brother is a drag racer.
To add to her long list of achievements, a stroll through her IG shows Fatima as a very athletic and charismatic person. Besides basketball, Fatima also cycles, runs and plays tennis. “When I came to the men’s team, I thought they were offering me a job with the U17 and U21 boys, but it turned out I was being seen as a suitable ‘number two’ for the senior team,” she explained.
“That position is challenging in its own right. Hopefully, in the future, more women will be offered opportunities in similar roles, if not better.”
