Cairo women take to the US football field

CAIRO: It’s a sight that few would imagine in Cairo — an American football field full of Egyptian women.From humble beginnings in 2016 with only three teams, Egypt’s all-female informal “flag football” league now has eight clubs vying for supremacy in the capital.

The version played by women here is non-contact, with players seeking to snatch flags tucked into opponents’ waistbands.For the young women who have taken up the game, which faces stiff competition for attention in a nation mad about soccer, it’s a chance to escape the many pressures of city life.

Habiba Mohamed, 19, says her friends and parents were surprised about her new passion. “When I told them at home I will practise American football, my father and mother told me: ‘How is this possible? You need to be careful,’” she says. Mohamed is kitted out in the green-and-yellow jersey of her team, Gezira Thunder, which is playing rivals the AUC Titans at the Maadi Olympics Centre, a stadium that normally functions as a soccer venue. It proves a good day for her, as Gezira storms to victory, albeit in a largely empty arena, save for a smattering of cheering friends and family. A teammate is keen to emphasise the non-contact nature of flag football.

“My friends thought it was a violent sport but it is not, as I have told them, and when they came to watch the games, they liked the sport a lot,” says 20-year-old quarterback Yara Tawheed. “The level of violence in this sport is similar to that in ballet,” she adds.

But some would prefer to play the full contact version. Alia Haytham, 22, a student at Cairo’s American University, says she hopes to play the undiluted game, to help her release anger and energy.

The coach of another female team, the adventurously named Hell Hounds, is proud of his players. “If you see how hard these girls work, I think you would really admire what they put into it,” says 30-year old American Matthew Kershey. Egypt became a member of the International Federation of American Football in 2014. The federation is leading a drive to register teams outside Cairo and expects several new clubs will be up and running in time for next season.