The Eastern Flames FC (Arabic: نادي شعلة الشرقية) is a Saudi women's football club based in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
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| Full name | Eastern Flames Football Club Arabic: نادي شعلة الشرقية | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Flames | ||
| Ground | Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 26,000 | ||
| Coach |  David Cabildo Garcia | ||
| Manager | Maram AlButairi | ||
| League | Saudi Women's Premier League | ||
| 2023–24 | SWPL, 7th of 8 | ||
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Domestically, Eastern Flames won the first SAFF Women's Regional League; East Region.[1]
Eastern Flames plays its home games at the Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium.
History edit
Women’s sports in Saudi Arabia were very limited when the Eastern Flames soccer team was first founded in 2006. But that didn’t stop Kaye Smith from following her passion in forming the Eastern Flames team.
In those 14 years, the team has evolved from a recreational activity inside Aramco’s community into a full-fledged team that competes in regional tournaments.
Today, women’s sport is encouraged by the Saudi government, as it falls under the Quality of Life Program which is one of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 initiatives.
The Beginning edit
The Eastern Flames started with few members as Smith faced difficulties in finding players and coaches to join the team. Still, the team was able to host tournaments in Dhahran, playing other Saudi teams. In 2009, the Flames participated in their first Rotary Club of Manama’s Charity Tournament.
From the beginning, the players took practices very seriously, with the women — married and single — building their lives around weekly practicing sessions at the Hills Field inside Aramco’s Dhahran community.
Then, in 2010, the Eastern Flames felt the need to level up their performance, joining the Arsenal Soccer School Cup league in Bahrain with the goal to become competitive by playing against more experienced players. As it was their first league, they struggled through the whole season without winning a game. Still, they were strong believers in progress and took their time to reflect on their losses, returning stronger the following season. The Eastern Flames has undergone management restructuring. In 2014, Maram Al Butairi, a financial analyst at Aramco, became the manager, pumping new blood into the team and targeting bigger goals. She appointed Karina Chapa as co-manager.
Working Harder, Getting Better edit
Looking to expand the number of players and the team’s capabilities, leaders recruited more players from the company through word of mouth, The Arabian Sun, and advertisements in the community to build a richer talent pool.
The Eastern Flames, though, faced recruitment challenges regarding the public nature of participation. Because of this, the club tries to raise awareness among the local communities to support the current direction of the Kingdom, increasing women’s participation in sports.
In 2020, the team participated in its biggest tournament yet — and the first women’s football tournament — at the Gulf Cooperation Council in Al Ain, UAE. Supported by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation in an effort to expose the Eastern Flames to professional players to leverage their skills, it marked a major milestone for the team by allowing them to play against other teams such as the UAE National Team, Al Ain Football Club, and the Super Soccer Team from Bahrain.[2]
Saudi Women's Regional, National and Premier League edit
Eastern Flames won the Eastern Region league two consecutive times in 2020 and 2021. As the Eastern Flames emerged as winners of the regional SAFF Women's regional League, they clinched their first-ever ticket to the Women's SAFF National league as the Eastern Representative. On 15 September 2022, Eastern Flames were announced among the teams that will contest Saudi first ever women's premier league, marking history for the club. The club has since then signed contracts with several North African players and Colombian Striker Sara Toro.[3]
Players edit
Current squad edit
- As of 17 November 2023.[4]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Honours edit
Domestic edit
- SAFF Women's Regional League (Eastern region) (2, record):
(2020–21, 2021–22)
International edit
See also edit
External links edit
References edit
- ^ "step towards title saudi women league". al-ain.com. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
- ^ "The Rise of the First Women's Football Club in Saudi Arabia". aramcoexpats.com. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
- ^ "5 foreign players support the Eastern Flames". arriyadiyah.com. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
- ^ "Eastern Flames FC Players, Results and Fixtures". Goalzz.com. Retrieved 22 October 2022.