Soccer debuts are always exciting, and when it comes to Al-Ahly, they have a debut of their own. Recently, CAF (The Confederation of African Football) announced that for a club to take part in regional African tournaments, it needs to create a women’s soccer department.
Al-Ahly did just that, debuting their first women’s soccer team, which will participate in the Egyptian Women’s Premier League during the 2024-2025 season.
Who Will Be in the New Team?
A host of new talent will join the soccer team, including Menna Tarek, a player who has been making noise in Saudi Arabia playing for teams like Al Shabab in the Saudi Women’s Premier League for the 2022–23 season.
There is also Nadine Ghazi, a striker for Egypt’s Women’s National Team, and Sally Mansour, a former player of Saudi women’s club Al-Taqaddom.
Along with these three players, four other local players have signed with the team, including Soraya Ashraf, Omneya Samir, Maha Shehata, and Amal Nasser.
The team will also bring in foreign players, with American Mia Leneice Darden and Serbian national team defender Aleksandra Đorđević already signed.
Meet The Head Coach
The new team will be led by head coach Dimitri Lipoff, who will guide them toward a hopeful victory in the Women’s Premier League. The French coach is set to be the technical director for the women’s soccer team over the next three years. Lipoff’s career revolves mainly around working with several Chinese women’s soccer teams, including Dalian Yingbo FC and Jiangsu Suning.
He was very eager to work with Al Ahly and expressed that when he said, “When Al-Ahly contacted me, I did not hesitate to accept the offer. I agreed immediately and did not set any conditions during the negotiations.”
When Will The Club Play?
The team is expected to play in the Women’s Premier League for the 2024-2025 season. We can’t wait for their historic debut on the football field!