AMMAN — For many athletes, leaving the field, court or pitch
for work behind the scenes can be very difficult. But former national handball
player turned sports manager, Rahaf Owais, found her calling in the transition.
اضافة اعلان
“I used to play for the national handball team, but then
developed a passion to integrate marketing and sports management. I worked as a
marketing communication director at the Jordan Football Association (
JFA), then
worked with local organizing committee for the FIFA U-17
Women’s World Cup,
which was hosted in Jordan in 2016,” Owais told
Jordan News.
Owais said working as communications and marketing director
with FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup organizing committee was the highlight of her
career.
As the Jordan-hosted U-17 Women’s World Cup came to a close,
she embarked on the next step in her journey with FIFA; working as a marketing
venue manager for various tournament including, FIFA U20 World Cup Korea 2018,
FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019 and the FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2019.
Through her work with
FIFA, Owais was then nominated for her
current position as a marketing rights delivery manager for the FIFA World Cup
Qatar 2022.
Elaborating on what it being a marketing rights delivery
manger entails, Owais said: “My work centers on ensuring the application of
sponsorship rights for FIFA partners throughout the tournament (Qatar World
Cup), in addition to seeing through the contracts concluded between FIFA and
the Cup’s official partners.”
“Any woman can work in sports management because the field
is need of constant enhancement from a wide range of specializations. What
makes this field so unique is the benefit it has on communities. This has
always motivated to keep working harder,” Owais said.
The sports director, who now resides in Qatar, cited the
“lack of awareness” about the importance of sports in general, as one of the
greatest challenges facing sports in Jordan, noting an excessive interest in
the results of national teams at the expense of the sector’s importance in
boosting community growth and its impact on the youth, especially.
Owais, who holds a master’s degree in marketing and
management from Bradford University, recounted kicking off her career in sports
management as a volunteer at various events in the Kingdom.
“Working in marketing and sports management is greatly tied
to organizing events and doing so in a timely manner, which are often held
outside standard working hours,” she explained, adding that success in the
field requires hard work and dedication.
She said that her work also covers the FIFA Arab Cup 2021 in
Qatar; “an important milestone in Qatar’s efforts to prepare for the 2022 World
Cup.”
Owais stressed the importance of volunteer work in
empowering young girls and developing their abilities. “It is the best way to
build a girl’s character and give her the means to shape it outside school or
university, in an environment that is both suitable and enjoyable. Volunteering
is also a great way to make friends, build relations and find a job in the
future.”
But the sports director recognizes the difficulties that
come with the territory of breaking into the world of sports. “Believing in
oneself and perseverance are two very important things when working in the
sports sector, especially as it requires women to be highly responsible in a
realm that is dominated by men in Jordan,” Owais said.
She concluded: “I have been in many situation where I have
found myself among a group of highly experienced men, particularly the JFA’s
ticket automation project, which to me was one that most helped build my
character and honed my crisis management skill in a world of men. Change has
begun and with it, women’s managerial abilities have started to shine”.
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