Emirati teenager becomes face of global Manchester City campaign

An Emirati teenager has become the face of a global Manchester City Football Club campaign to encourage more women to take up the sport.

Modhi Al-Ali, 15, is currently training at City Football Schools UAE. In a video produced as part of the campaign, she says that learning to play the game has helped her both on and off the pitch.

“It is football that complements me the most,” she says to the camera while kicking a ball around her garden. The video then moves on to show her taking part in a Manchester City training session.

“I think about [football] first. I talked, thought and dreamt of it the most,” she says, adding that it makes her feel strong and fast.

“It is probably hard to become a professional football player, but it is among my goals and ambitions.

“Being part of the team is important to me.

“The good thing about football is that it unites us, the girls, from everywhere in the world,” she says.

The club launched its Same Goals initiative last month to encourage more girls to take up the sport.

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Spearheaded by City Football Schools UAE, which operates in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the programme features the group's first female coach, Elle Charney, who is herself a former Manchester City footballer.

It is open to both first-timers and dedicated aspiring soccer stars, and hopefuls can apply by posting a video on Twitter that shows them either scoring or saving a goal — the more creative, the better.

Every video posted using #SameGoals and tagging @ManCity will be rewarded with a football.