Teacher Becomes First Female Commentator in UAE
A British woman had made history by becoming the first female football commentator in the United Arab Emirates, after being spotted by a TV executive while playing football with local kids at a car wash.
The Liverpool Echo reports that 29-year-old Amy Gillingham had moved to the Middle East country in 2017, after taking up the role of a PE teacher in the UAE, which was a dream job.
The football-mad teacher played for Liverpool Feds and FC United of Manchester’s women’s football teams before making the move abroad.
However, she got her big break when she was spotted by a man while having a kick-about with some local kids while waiting for her car to be washed. She chatted with the man for around 10 minutes, and he revealed he was a TV executive and offered her the opportunity to work on a major football event in the UAE in the future
Amy said: “So originally I came out here as a PE teacher working in the government schools. I was a little bit more than a PE teacher as I was looking after schools. I’d go in, help and support the PE teachers, upskill them and then develop the curriculum.”
However, after expressing interest in the football job, she heard nothing for several months but held on to hope. She eventually got the call, asking her to commentate on the Super Cup Final, which is a major event for the UAE professional league, which she did, and which led to her signing a contract with the UAE Pro League commentating within the league.
Amy officially became the first female commentator in the UAE on Friday 7 January, when Al Jazira took on Shabab Al-Ahli, co-commenting with journalist and broadcaster Graham Clews ahead of signing a contract with the UAE Pro League.
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