DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES — Many young Arab girls from conventional families grow up believing that sports are not for them. This belief stems from the notion in traditional Middle Eastern society that sports are more suitable for boys and men. Sadly, this mindset has led to a startling statistic: an average of 73% of young Arab girls give up playing sports by the age of 14.
To challenge this status quo and raise awareness about the transformative impact of sports on women and girls, adidas has pioneered the world’s first “Female Field.” This innovative concept stems from a fundamental insight: in Arabic, most words associated with sports are female in gender. For instance, words like “ball,” “run,” “kick,” “jump,” “goal,” “shoot,” “pass,” and even the word “sport” itself are all considered feminine due to the ending letter, called the “Ta’Marbuta.” This letter, written as a circle with two dots on top, imparts feminine gender to Arabic words.
Drawing inspiration from this linguistic feature, adidas incorporated the “Ta’Marbuta” into the design of a football pitch. Just as this letter gives gender to words, it gives gender to the pitch, making it distinctly female. By adding two dots above the center circle, traditionally found on playing fields, adidas created a visible reminder that women belong in the world of sports just as much as men, sparking conversations about the importance of supporting women in sports. This simple yet powerful idea emphasizes representation and encourages society to see things from a female perspective.
The Female Field initiative was launched in collaboration with Onyx FC, the UAE’s first and only owned and operated football team, as part of their inclusion in the adidas family. This partnership aims to embody the team’s ethos: empowering girls to pursue their sports dreams and giving them the confidence to step onto the field.
Soon enough, countless replicas popped up across Dubai, not just on football fields but also on basketball courts, beach football pitches, and even ice hockey rinks, among the many being turned into female fields.
