MUSCAT: Al Ain Volleyball Club of the UAE has officially announced the signing of Omani coach Jamal al Maamari to lead the first team, marking his first professional experience outside the Sultanate of Oman after an 18-year journey filled with local, Gulf and Arab achievements.
Al Maamari’s move to one of the UAE’s biggest clubs crowns a coaching career that began in 2008, during which Omani volleyball witnessed the rise of his name as one of the country’s most prominent national coaches. He guided clubs such as Seeb, Al Salam and Majees to unprecedented titles, in addition to his distinguished contributions with various national teams.
With Seeb Club, Al Maamari led the team into an unprecedented era of domestic dominance, winning seven consecutive Ministry Shield titles, along with four successive league championships and four Federation Cup titles, in addition to other local trophies. His total domestic silverware stands at between 25 and 26 titles across different competitions.
On the regional stage, he made a strong impact by securing two bronze medals at the Arab Club Championship and achieving fifth place in the West Asia Championships, enhancing Oman’s presence on the regional volleyball map.
With Al Salam Club, he recorded a historic milestone by winning the Gulf Clubs Championship silver medal, the first Gulf achievement for Omani clubs in the sport. His national team career was equally distinguished, highlighted by a silver medal at the Arab U-18 Championship in his first national assignment, a Gulf bronze medal with the senior national team and an Arab Championship silver medal with the military national team.
A DEFERRED DECISION... A LONG-AWAITED DREAM
Speaking after signing the contract, Al Maamari revealed that the decision to pursue a professional career abroad was not sudden. He noted that he had received overseas offers three to four years ago but chose to remain with Seeb to complete his technical project, benefiting from administrative stability and strong board support.
He stated that the time had come to take on a new challenge after achieving as many domestic objectives as possible, describing the move to Al Ain as the harvest of years of dedication and hard work.
Al Maamari also indicated that he may be the first Omani national coach in team sports — outside of football to undertake a professional experience abroad at this level, expressing hope that the step would open doors for other Omani coaches to pursue similar opportunities in the future.
SCIENTIFIC CONFIDENCE AND ACCUMULATED EXPERIENCE
The Omani coach emphasised that he enters this new chapter with full confidence, backed by academic preparation and continuous engagement with modern coaching developments. He has closely followed world championships and Olympic competitions, keeping pace with evolving training methodologies that have shaped his technical philosophy.
A former player with the youth national team, Majees Club, Al Salam Club and the university national team, Al Maamari believes his playing background has given him deeper insight into the sport's psychological and technical dimensions.
Describing his move from Seeb, “Oman’s Leader”, to Al Ain, widely known as “Asia’s Leader” as both an honour and a responsibility, Al Maamari acknowledged that the task ahead will not be easy. However, he views it as a motivating challenge and expressed confidence in meeting the club’s ambitions and competing strongly for titles in the seasons ahead.
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