Ali Thameem
Football might be regarded as the national sport. But the women’s game had, for the most part, been treated as an afterthought. For the past decade, women’s football in the Maldives had remained inactive, leaving footballers to pick up other sports.
While many of the young generation of girls let go of their dreams to pursue football despite their love for the game, some had been waiting for an opportunity to finally play on the national level, or just any level of competitive football.
Back when the new FAM management took office, one of their pledges was to establish a women’s national league.
The Women’s League which took place in December did prove that several talented female footballers have been waiting to be discovered. Because, just as in every national-level tournament, it was only a matter of time before a rising youngster stood out.
For the outgoing league, the one who had shown the most potential was Aishath Shaha Shareef of Victory Sports Club; the 19-year-old midfielder who was awarded ‘Most Promising Player’ by FAM at the closing of the league.
Shaha says she has been patiently waiting for “a chance to make a difference, or show what I’m capable of in a tournament like this”.
Growing up in Maavah, a small island in Laamu, Shaha says she was accustomed to the stigma of football being labelled as just a men’s sport. It was after she moved to Male’ that Shaha started getting regular play time.
But even in the capital, there have been hardly any football tournaments for girls. But Shaha remained on the lookout for such an opportunity.
After completing a short course at MNU, Shaha joined WAMCO in 2025. But she got onboard a little too late for Eighteen-Thirty, the biggest women’s futsal tournament in the country.
According to Shaha, joining Victory Sports Club ahead of the FAM Women’s League was the best decision she could have made. Training with a team of other youngsters like her, as well as national team players, foreign players, and an all-female coaching staff, Shaha says she could not be more grateful.
Even before being chosen to lead the team, Shaha knew her coach trusted her to be a game changer.
Back in the third fixture of the league, Victory SC faced Maziya Sports and Recreation. Maziya had not lost a single game, and would go on to win the league. But Victory SC pulled off a second-half comeback on that day.
Victory would become the first and only team to stop Maziya from winning, and Shaha had shown up when she was needed the most; “Before coming onto the pitch, coach gave me one word; ‘It’s now or never, Shaha’!”
“Something changed from those words”, she said. “I have always practiced that kinda of kick, but somehow it was the first time I scored like that.. so that feeling was unreal.”
In her words, Victory SC gave Shaha a feeling of belonging that she had yearned for a while; the kind that brings out the best version of an athlete. “I learned professionalism From foreign players. I learned how to train seriously, respect the game, and stay confident under pressure”.
Victory had brought in two of Uzbekistan National team players; Safina Rushaniya, and Leyla Rustullaeva. Leyla happens to be a striker of the same age as Shaha, but the there was a lot of room for learning from the international.
Shaha says that, most importantly, the foreign players made sure that she feels the most confident when she steps into the pitch.
To better understand her work ethic, we spoke with one of Shaha’s teammates at Victory SC; one of the Maldives national team players, Shiyana Ahmed Zuhair:
“She’s very dedicated and always shows up to practice.. always tries her very best in every practice.. during practice matches, I have known her real talent.. she doesn’t give up that easily”.
Initially, Victory SC played her as a striker, But Shaha’s instincts to play as a false-nine, and her work rate at ball recovery earned her a more free-playing role as a midfielder.
“we started her in top as she is very fast but she always fall back and help team in defense to win the ball.. (Shaha is) very young and might be new to this.. but she’s got a bright future in this”
– Shaha’s Victory SC teammate and women’s national team player, Shiyana Ahmed Zuhair.
Shaha was picked for the starting line-up through the five games, but other youngsters in the team got game time as well.Every single player in the Victory squad got to appear on the field, “and that is a huge achievement for a five-game league”, says Shiyana. “The most important thing for such league is to develop the women football.. through victory many new faces are introduced to this and we hope these players continues to grow in this”.
Shaha hopes that the future of football in Maldives is less stereotyped as just a men’s sport.
“There are so many girls out there who wants to play, but the (stigma of) Maldivians saying that football is not for girls, are keeping them away. That is a huge problem. And lack of education; no proper guidance for us girls”.
As the player to be have been honored as “the most promising”, Shaha says, she hopes young girls in upcoming tournaments will draw inspiration from her journey. “Football is not just for boys, or for girls. It’s for anyone who loves the game”.
Her message to girls aspiring to go professional is, “If you have passion in your heart and fire in your legs, don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t play.”
