Six members of Gareth Taylor’s squad: Steph Houghton, Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw, Demi Stokes, Laura Coombs, Leila Ouahabi and Tara O’Hanlon, maintained their sharpness in the United Arab Emirates heat ahead of what is shaping up to be a grandstand finish to the 2023/24 campaign.
Every player put in the hard yards during daily training sessions at Zayed Sports City, but there were still plenty of opportunities to sample all that Abu Dhabi has to offer when away from the pitch.
Club journalist George Kelsey travelled with the team, and has documented some of the memorable moments from the trip below…
Monday
Arriving late on Sunday evening, there were some understandably tired faces at breakfast on Monday morning ahead of our first full day in the UAE.
But as soon as the players stepped out onto the training pitches and into the glorious sunshine of Abu Dhabi, any lingering fatigue instantly became a distant memory.
Given the torrential downpour that Manchester had given the players as a send-off from the City Football Academy at 4am the day before, this was a more than welcome change of pace. Steph Houghton even jokingly took a moment after getting off the bus to open her arms and look up to the sky with a smile.
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There was an excited atmosphere as the players took to the pitch, but that was replaced by a typically steely focus once the session got under way.
City are on a remarkable run of form of late, and those on-pitch results are the product of the hard yards that were on show at the Zayed Sports City that morning.
But despite their efforts that morning, some of the players hadn’t had their football fix for the day, taking part in a kickabout on the private beaches adjacent to our hotel at Bab Al Qasr.
Given City’s global reach, football isn’t the only important engagement our players have to undertake when travelling overseas though.
On Monday afternoon, the players took part in a commercial appearance window, with Coombs and O’Hanlon taking in the stunning surroundings of Abu Dhabi’s National Aquarium.
Shaw, Stokes and Houghton, meanwhile, travelled to City Challenge – an incredible interactive experience where visitors can test themselves on a number of different football-related activities.
Joining our trio were three girls from the City Football Schools’ Talented Player Pathway over in Abu Dhabi, with our players getting to know the youngsters in between challenges.
Unsurprisingly, Bunny Shaw was straight to the penalty challenge, finding the top corner against a robot goalkeeper after some discussions with Stokes and Houghton, and much to the rest of the travelling party’s delight!
Stokes, meanwhile, showed off her impressive reaction skills in a button-pressing challenge, while Houghton got to meet a life size waxwork of herself, which had been recently commissioned for City Challenge, like the Kevin De Bruyne equivalent earlier this year.
A busy but exciting first day concluded with a birthday celebration for our Women’s Team’s Managing Director, Charlotte O’Neill, who was surprised at dinner with a cake and a rendition of ‘happy birthday’ from players and staff.
It was a lovely moment that showed the tight bond between the group.
Tuesday
Another morning training session followed on Tuesday, with Houghton and O’Hanlon both continuing their respective recoveries from injury with some individual exercises.
The rest of the group took part in some 1v1 drills, pushing their endurance and skill to the limit under the beating sun.
However, the entire group were in for a real treat that afternoon, as we made our way out of Abu Dhabi’s bustling surroundings and towards a desert safari.
For those of us on our first trip to the UAE, there was a real sense of the unknown and plenty of excited chatter as we were driven out towards the incredible sand dunes in close proximity to the city.
And while the players made their way straight to camp, staff were given a slightly bumpier ride thanks to some ‘dune bashing’, which involves the car’s tires being slightly deflated before a more ‘scenic’ route over the sand at high speeds.
Picture being caught out by every pothole you’ve ever driven over, but all at the same time, and a lot of fun!
As we arrived at camp, the players were there to greet us having been out with our guide on quad bikes. Kitted out with helmets and visors, the excitement from the excursion was etched on each of their faces as we began to share details of our very different journeys.
The camp itself provided a fantastic experience, with cushions and carpets to sit back and relax on as well as traditional Arabic food to enjoy as the sun began to set over our remarkable surroundings.
But there were also plenty of activities to enjoy, including taking out quad bikes and buggies onto the dunes, as well as sandboarding down one particularly steep hill.
Everyone was relishing every moment of the experience, and an evening which will live with each of us for many years ended with some impressive traditional dance from a performer, including swords, spears and fire in equal measure.
Once the show was over, and after plenty of peer pressure from her team-mates, Stokes even had a go herself, emulating the performer’s trademark move by spinning under a traditional intricately patterned gown – without fire or swords included!
Wednesday
The team’s longest, and toughest, training session took place on Wednesday.
After all being pushed to their limits with some pitch-length sprints, Shaw and Coombs both tested their finishing in a detailed exercise involving Stokes and Ouahabi finding them with some pinpoint crosses.
Shaw had been working with the boss, also a centre-forward in his playing days, on her movement in the box earlier in the session, and the Jamaican was looking typically sharp when firing her efforts into the back of the net.
Coombs, famed for her ability to make late runs into the box, was equally impressive in front of goal.
A busy day continued that afternoon with five of our players taking part in a Meet and Greet back at the Bab Al Qasr hotel with some of City’s partners from Etihad, Experience Abu Dhabi and E&.
After chatting about their time in the UAE so far, the team’s current form and looking ahead to March’s derby at the Etihad Stadium, guests had the chance to get some of their merchandise signed by the players and meet their heroes in the flesh.
That evening, the entire travelling party were invited for food at the Emirates Palace, a short walk from the hotel, where we were treated to some truly remarkable food at Broadway, a French brasserie with a British and American influence.
A trip to a local jazz bar provided the perfect atmosphere to wind down after a busy but memorable final night in Abu Dhabi.
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Thursday
The players made their way to Zayed Sports City for their final training session of the warm weather training camp, trying their hand at Padel and Basketball after a lighter day of drills.
However, I was back at the hotel making final preparations for the announcement of Leila Ouahabi’s contract extension later that day.
The left-back has committed her future to City for a further two years; a real coup from the Club given the influence she’s had on our incredible defensive record so far this season.
In between training and the previously mentioned experiences, Leila had been sitting a number of exams across the week as part of her academic studies.
It’s meant the Spaniard’s had some late nights and early exits from activities, but never enough to wipe the almost constant smile off her face.
With the flight back to Manchester looming, there was time for one final visit for the team, this time to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
A stunning piece of architecture which completed construction in 2007, it’s the largest mosque in the UAE, and after soaking up the incredible scenery, we were given a guided tour of the building, learning more about Islamic custom and the history of Abu Dhabi.
It was a fitting way to end what had been a fast-paced but incredible four days of warm weather training, before we departed for the airport late on Thursday evening to make the journey back to Manchester.
