KARACHI: Senator Rubina Irfan believes the successful hosting of the SAFF Women’s Championship, which ended last week, should pave the way for the growth of the women’s game in the country.

Speaking to Dawn on Thursday, the chairperson of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) Women’s Wing said that the success garnered by the regional event should be the ideal platform for lifting women’s football.

“It is due to the hard work of the PFF and all involved that the event was conducted in such a befitting manner,” Rubina said. “Now, it’s time to use the tournament’s impact for the betterment of the game.”

Rubina hailed PFF president Faisal Saleh Hayat for bringing to the country a number of the dignitaries for the final, which saw India beat Nepal to be crowned champions for the third time in succession.

The top brass of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) attended the final including president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa and secretary Alex Soosay.

“The fact that so many dignitaries were in attendance in the final shows they are committed to the growth of football — especially women’s football — in the country,” Rubina said.

“The credit for bringing them [the dignitaries] to Pakistan, especially when there are so few international sporting events taking place here, goes to Hayat.”

With the event over, Rubina stressed it was time to focus on the growth of women’s football — and the national team — in order to see better performances in the future.

“Although the results didn’t go our way, the overall performance of the team was better [than in previous editions],” she said regarding Pakistan’s group-stage exit.

“I would urge the PFF president to continue his support for women’s football and help it grow further.”

Rubina said that the next step would be to provide more exposure to the current lot and continue with the ‘young team’ which played at the SAFF Championship.

“At the SAFF Championship, we used a young team with new players which we want to build for the future,” she said. “These are promising young players and need more exposure and continuity to be world-beaters.”

The head of women’s football in Pakistan also spoke on the inclusion of her three daughters in the national team.

While Shahlayla Baloch and Sohaila Zarrain are playing members, her eldest daughter, Raheela Zarmeen was named the team manager ahead of the SAFF Championship.

“They are purely on merit and not due to my influence,” Rubina said. “If there is a player who is better than them, that player will be in the team even if the position of my daughters is at stake.”

Published in Dawn, November 28th, 2014