Football legends inspire youth at Mleiha Club

July 21, 2025 / 9:57 PM

Sharjah24: Mleiha Cultural and Sports Club warmly welcomed a distinguished group of former Emirati football stars to inaugurate the "I'm an Athlete" week, part of the wider Sharjah Sports Summer Programme – Our distinguished Holiday 2025. The opening day embodied a vibrant sporting spirit and meaningful intergenerational engagement, reflecting the club’s commitment to embedding sporting and moral values in the minds of its young members.

The guests of honour—Captain Bakhit Saeed, Captain Basheer Saeed, and Captain Ahmed Diyaa—were received with great appreciation by the club’s leadership, including Mohammed Sultan Khasouni Al Ketbi,, Chairman of the Board of Directors, and Mohammed Awad Al Ketbi, a board member and head of the summer activities committee. Their presence added prestige and depth to the initiative, offering young participants a rare chance to engage with national sports icons in a setting that celebrates unity, heritage and ambition.

A strategic vision for connecting sporting generations

This initiative reflects Maliha Club’s long-term strategy to connect emerging athletes with the heroes of previous generations, instilling inspiration and offering real-life role models for that currently pursuing sport. This aligns with the strategic direction supported by the Sharjah Sports Council, which continues to empower local clubs to develop high-impact programmes that seamlessly combine physical activity, entertainment, and education.

By making positive role models central to summer programming, the club seeks to strengthen values such as discipline, teamwork, and resilience. This “meeting of generations” is seen not just as symbolic but as an effective way of embedding a rich sporting culture rooted in experience and national identity.

Heartfelt praise and interactive sports

The opening day featured a guided tour of the club’s facilities for the visiting athletes, who were introduced to the various activities forming part of the “I’m an Athlete” agenda. The programme included a series of group and individual challenges—ranging from football and volleyball to swimming, tug-of-war, target shooting, and bowling—designed to engage youth in the 7–12 and 13–17 age brackets.

Participants showed high levels of enthusiasm and discipline, which impressed the veteran players. Captain Bakhit Saeed praised the club’s structured approach and expressed his pride in witnessing such vibrant youth engagement, highlighting the importance of building physically and morally strong generations. Captain Basheer Saeed described the Sharjah summer initiative as a national model of excellence, commending Maliha Club’s fusion of creativity and commitment. Captain Ahmed Diyaa noted that sports at the club had evolved beyond physical training to become a powerful platform for fostering national identity and deepening social cohesion.