Onyx FC: the all-female owned club on a mission to grow women's football in the UAE

The Onyx gemstone is said to represent strength, wisdom and authenticity. Those are precisely the qualities Onyx FC aims to stand for as the UAE’s first fully female-owned football club.

Women’s football in the UAE has not always had a large following, but in the past 20 years the sport has become increasingly popular in the country.

That growing interest led to the creation of the women’s national team in 2010, who made their debut in the West Asian Football Championship the same year. Subsequently, in 2012, the UAE introduced its first women’s football league – for under-13 and under-16 players – where teams were given a quota of having 15 Emiratis out of 20 total players in each squad.

But while there were leagues, teams and sub-categories for women’s football, there was still room for a fully female-owned and led club. Onyx FC claimed that badge of honour when it was founded in 2022.

It was started by four coaching mentors – Lauren McMurchie, Georgia Adderley, Lisa Hayhoe and Hind Al Zarouni – all of whom are Uefa-licensed coaches.

Onyx offers training for competitive female players, and the club takes part in an 11-a-side and a seven-a-side league run by the Expat Football Association, the fastest growing football league in Dubai which boasts more than 4,000 active players.

They also run social football programs open to women of all abilities which currently counts around 200 members. For younger players, Onyx offers a girls academy for children aged four to 18.

While three of the four founding coaches work for the club on a part-time basis, McMurchie runs Onyx FC full-time. With a master’s degree in sports coaching and experience of representing the Scotland national team at youth level, McMurchie brings years of expertise to the UAE football scene.

“We came together as four co-founders, myself alongside Georgia, Lisa, and Hind, and we embarked on a journey to provide a women’s only club to empower women and girls to be the best that they can be," McMurchie said. "Together, we hope to create a welcoming environment and a pathway that provides longevity for female football players in the UAE and beyond.”

Growing up, McMurchie never thought she would be an entrepreneur, but said she has always been independent, resilient and hard-working.

“I have an ambitious side to my personality which I’m sure was emboldened throughout my playing career at Glasgow City and at youth level with the Scotland national team," she added.

"I believe the similarities between competitive sport and entrepreneurship are undeniable: adaptability, competitiveness, resilience and hard work are some that come to mind. My characteristics are definitely shared and balanced well with the expertise of my fellow co-founders which helps us empower the women of the UAE to realise their own ambitions.”

While Onyx FC's modest origins are important, McMurchie is determined to increase the club’s numbers, and therefore make a lasting impact on the growth and development of women’s football in the UAE.

“There has been a lot of growth in the UAE, especially within the last two years,” she said. “We have seen a huge increase in interest since the introduction of the UAE FA’s 11-a-side women’s league. Providing this league for women to compete shows their support for the long-term growth of the sport.”

Her co-founder, Al Zarouni, is an Emirati national who feels passionately about incorporating women’s football into the country’s future.

“My ultimate vision would be for Onyx FC to be the leading female football club in the UAE, in particular providing exceptional coaching for Emirati females," she said.

"Of course, as a proud Emirati female, I believe in providing opportunities for Emirati females to thrive in the football world.

"I would like to encourage females to be authentic and be able to provide various opportunities for other women. A few pieces of advice that personally helped me include working hard towards your passion, viewing every challenge as an opportunity to learn and grow, and finally asking for help when needed.”

Many perceive the Middle East and the Arab world to be restrictive towards women in sport, but Al Zarouni has a different view.

“In the UAE, our identifications are not considered limiting factors. I was never hindered by the fact that I am a female Emirati. We are encouraged to work towards our passion no matter what field it is in,” she said.

Participation in women's football in the region is undoubtedly on the rise, fuelled in part by the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and surely increased further by the spectacular Women's World Cup that has just finished in Australia and New Zealand.

This trend makes the existence of a club like Onyx FC all the more vital.

What is the FNC?

The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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Match info

Newcastle United 1
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Vertonghen (8'), Alli (18')

How does ToTok work?

The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store

To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.

The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.

Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.

How to apply for a drone permit

Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
Submit their request

What are the regulations?

Fly it within visual line of sight
Never over populated areas
Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
Should have a live feed of the drone flight
Drones must weigh 5 kg or less