Fatima Reyadh who lives in Bahrain is not leaving any stone unturned in her fight against prejudice. Fatima Reyadh was just hired as an assistant coach for the men’s basketball team at the Al-Najma Basketball Club in Manama, Bahrain. In the Gulf, it’s not common to see a woman coaching any sport, and seeing a woman coach a men’s team is almost unbelievable. But the change that leads to more acceptance is always good.
Who Is Fatima Reyadh?
Fatima Reyadh is a woman with many skills. She is the mother of a girl who is seven years old. Reyadh has been playing basketball since she was a child. She has a black belt in Taekwondo. She got into basketball because her mother did. She went with her to the headquarters of a women’s basketball team, where her mother worked as a coach. Reyadh loves sports and uses the time she doesn’t spend coaching basketball to play tennis, run, and ride her bike. She is currently a Level 2 coach in the world association of basketball coaches and a Level 3 national coach in Canadian basketball.
Before being hired by the Al-Najma Basketball Club, Reyadh got her start in sports by coaching a group of young girls and boys. A young mother leading a group of male basketball players in an indoor stadium in a Gulf country was not something you see every day. Reyadh made it happen, but her life has been about standing up for what she believes in and fighting against bias.
Reyadh doesn’t want to stop her. Now, she wants to be the team’s head coach and bring home the national championship she’s always wanted. Reyadh posts a lot about her sports experiences on her social media account to encourage other women to try sports.
At the beginning of her career, when it came to being accepted, Reyadh had to fight many stereotypes about women leading men in a field that was usually only for men. Reyadh’s efforts to make the sports world in Bahrain an equal place for women to work is a huge step forward. She also trains her daughter in the sport.
