For a non-stereotypical passion, Fatima Al Ali left her first hobby (photography), starting a new journey eight years ago with a game that requires good mastery of skateboarding, rules of balance, and “rough” skills, which some see as a monopoly on men, and do not suit the soft sex. .

Just following her hockey films as a child, Fatima turned her career into a national ice hockey team player and established herself as one of the most prominent female Emirati faces in this field and achieved remarkable achievements, becoming the first UAE international arbitrator and assistant coach of ice hockey in the east Middle.

The beginning of the journey

"When I was ten I was attracted by the films about this game, and I was unaware of its rules, until the age of 18 when I was working as an amateur photographer, and I found an ad for the ice hockey championship," Fatima said in an interview with Emirates Today. "It was the first time I saw a full match, and then I was chosen to record all the matches."

She added: «In 2010, the first women's ice hockey team was formed in the UAE, and was then commissioned to shoot, but the game attracted me, and fell in love with, and moved from photography to play the game, and acquire the arts and discover its secrets».

Train more

Fatima wanted to spend more time on the ice, she began to train more, and took a course to become a referee to learn the secrets of this sport to become a player, and succeeded in becoming the first Arab woman to oversee the World Championship of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), not only once , But twice.

In eight years, she was able to participate in several international tournaments, most notably the Hong Kong Championship where her team managed to win first place, and the team won the second place in two rounds in the Asian Challenge Championship, under the supervision of the International Ice Hockey Federation.

Fatima is keen to train at the only skating hall in Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi, with her team twice a week, and on her own three days, while overseeing four days to train children hockey enthusiasts, stressing that she managed in a record period to be the first Emirati as assistant coach and international arbitrator hockey Ice in the Middle East.

"I was able to acquire many principles, the most important of which is that this game is not easy and needs to master more than one skill at the same time, such as learning the art of skiing well, and rules of balance between the body and stick to control the disk to pass and shoot to score goals."

She refuses to describe some hockey as a cruel and violent game is not suitable for women, but on the contrary, is from her point of view: «exciting and fast game, and hard training girls can distinguish, which is one of the most important activities that satisfy the desire of lovers of speed and excitement together, and an open field of excellence and creativity, Reaching globalization, and raising the name of the UAE in international forums, especially with the great support provided by the leadership.

Unforgettable attitude

Fatima Al Ali remembers when she was seen by Peter Bondra, a retired Washington Capitals player who did not hide his admiration for her talent, but admitted her mastery during his 2016 Abu Dhabi training course, inviting her to travel. She went to Washington in 2017, in cooperation with Etihad Airways, in order to give her the opportunity to watch the game and train with her Capitals team, and she was honored to drop the festive disc that marks the start of the game against Detroit Red Wings.

The UAE player describes ice hockey as a sport that develops abilities “because it relies on tricks in striking strikes, and high skills in guidance and movement, which is a very important aspect in the development of capabilities, and gives the player high abilities in speed of intuition and good behavior in a fraction of a second, to pay a deceptive blow, "It is not based on physical strength and roughness. She stresses that she did not pay attention to the gaze of exclamation from some who describe the sport of hockey men and which is not suitable for women, because of her belief in the skills that make her distinguished in this area, which led her to continue and persevere and make more achievements that wish to add to the balance of the Emirati girl in the world of sports Atypical.

Experience is proof

Fatima Al Ali has invited the UAE girls to join the women's ice hockey team, stressing that it is not a difficult game, especially for men alone, hoping that the UAE will witness in the coming periods the establishment of more academies and specialized schools in ice hockey, which accommodates hundreds of girls of different ages .

She considered that «the practice of this game only needs training to excellence, and experience will be the best proof, because it is inconceivable to judge something unless you try it, and girls will find that it is a game free of harmful frictions, and fits the values ​​and customs and traditions of the UAE and the Arab, in terms of modest dress» .

• Fatima Al Ali .. The first Arab to oversee the World Ice Hockey Federation twice.

• 8 years among the secrets of ice hockey, spent by Fatima, who dreams of achieving more achievements.