Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy Gears Up to Launch the 2025 Basketball Talent Discovery Festival

Abu Dhabi, 5 November 2025 – Under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation - “Mother of the Nation” - and under the directives of Sheikha Fatima bint Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy (FBMA), and Chairwoman of Abu Dhabi Ladies Club and Al Ain Ladies Club, the Academy has announced the upcoming launch of the Fatima Bint Mubarak Academy Basketball Talent Discovery Festival 2025, scheduled to take place on Thursday, 6 November 2025, at the Academy’s Sports Hall in Abu Dhabi.

The festival aims to discover and nurture promising female basketball talents, promote the culture of school sports, and instill the values of challenge, teamwork, and perseverance within an inspiring environment that supports the development of young female athletes.

The event will feature the participation of several distinguished schools, including Liwa International School, Al Irtiqa School, Al Nahda National School, Al Ittihad National School, and Al Rawafed Private School. The teams will compete throughout the day in ten organized matches, creating an atmosphere of enthusiasm that reflects the growing passion for women’s sports in the UAE.

The competitions will commence at 9:00 a.m. with a match between Liwa International School and Al Irtiqa School, followed by a series of consecutive games among the participating schools until noon. The festival will conclude with an awards ceremony honoring the winning teams and outstanding players in recognition of their performance and sportsmanship.

On this occasion, Shamsa Al Hanaee, Board Member of the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy, emphasized that “the Talent Discovery Festival is one of the Academy’s most significant annual initiatives, as it aims to build a new generation of female athletes capable of representing the UAE in future sporting arenas through an integrated system that combines education, training, and empowerment.”

She added that “the festival reflects the vision of Mother of the Nation in empowering girls from a young age and reaffirms the Academy’s commitment to providing sustainable platforms for discovering and supporting female sports talents - contributing to the advancement of national sports and achieving regional leadership.”

The Fatima Bint Mubarak Academy Basketball Talent Discovery Festival serves as a leading platform for encouraging younger generations to engage in sports and reinforces the concept of “Sports as a Way of Life,” aligning with the Academy’s mission to support and empower Emirati women across all fields.