Kenya Lionesses skipper appointed UAE rugby women's coach

Two time Olympian and current Kenya Lionesses skipper Philadelphia Orlando has been appointed as the new head coach of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) national team Emirati Women Rugby.

In an appointment made on Wednesday night, the UAE Rugby Federation confirmed the announcement as they elucidated on the roles of the Kenyan international.

"The UAERF team is pleased to welcome Philadelphia Orlando to lead the Emirates Women’s Team. Philadelphia comes with a strong rugby experience, having played in the Olympics twice in Tokyo 2020 and Rio 2016 and the 2018 World Cup in San Francisco,” reads a statement by UAE.

“A hearty congratulations to long serving Kenya Lioness skipperPhiladelphia Orlando on her appointment as Head Coach of the UAE Women's Rugby Team,” Kenya Rugby Union posted on their social media platform.

As head of women Rugby at Emirati, Orlando will oversee the entire on-field women rugby programme, girls’ rugby development and will support the various coaching teams within the set-up as part of her duties.

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Speaking after the appointment, Orlando, who has been with Kenya Lionesses for thirteen years described the opportunity as an exciting one for her development.

“This is a new challenge for my personal development and an exciting opportunity that has been presented to me that I gladly accept with great honour," stated Orlando.

Additionally, the Lionesses skipper expressed her delight at the chance of joining Emirati as she revealed her ambitions of helping bring success to the team in the near future during her tenure.

"The Emirati is an unbelievable brand and I am looking forward to the challenge and how I can positively contribute to making Emirati successful. This will be a collective effort by every person involved in the set-up and If I can contribute in any way to achieving their vision that would be great." She concluded.