Abu Dhabi: Manchester City Women’s Football Club have had a very fruitful 2016 season after winning the FA Women’s Super League title and Continental Tyres Cup.
And two of their star players, Toni Duggan and Steph Houghton, believe their pre-season training camp in the UAE in February laid the foundation for this superb success.
Duggan, an England striker, said: “It’s seems like only yesterday we were in Abu Dhabi for our pre-season game [against Melbourne City] and since then we have won two major trophies — the league and the cup — and it’s been a fantastic season.”
As part of the UAE visit, Duggan and her team-mates took part in a series of technical football clinics with the UAE’s under-14 women’s team together with the UAE Women’s Football Committee.
She added: “Hard work and team spirit have played a massive part in our success. When we were here, we saw the young girls playing in the UAE and that was something that really came across from them. They have such passion for football.”
Houghton, the City captain, said: “We look forward to seeing how the young girls have developed in the near future and getting involved again with coaching sessions. As professional female players at Manchester City FC, we keep up to date on how the female game is progressing all over the world and, with the links the club has to Abu Dhabi and the UAE, especially there.”
City Football Schools recently launched women-only development sessions for young players to enable female players from across the UAE to develop their football skills and help target those who feel more comfortable training and playing in a women-only environment.
City Football School have three bases at Zayed Sports City, New York University Saadiyat Campus and the newly added Emirates Palace.
For more information, visit http://www.manchestercity.fawsl.com and http://www.cityfootballschools.com.
