By Ilaria Mastio
More and more girls and women from all corners of the globe are discovering the joys of playing football. Two years after women were allowed into the stadium, Saudi Arabia has now launched their first women’s football league.
The creation of the team marks a big step for women and their freedom.
After being postponed due to the pandemic, the Saudi Women’s Football League has been put in place by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) with a total of twenty-four teams from Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam, with players aged 17 and over. The team who wins the title will also get 500,000 Saudi riyals (£100,000).
Abdullah Alyami, sports journalist and Saudi football coach said to Arab News: “It’s a very happy day for all athletes. Based on what we’ve seen and how beloved the sport of football is all over the Kingdom, I believe we will see many more of our sisters getting involved in professional sports.”
The main goal is to, one day, enter a women’s team in future World Cup and be an example for the next generation. Adwa Al Arifi, the Riyadh Female Football Committee founder, thinks this is just the beginning of a new era. This league is made to empower women, encourage them to become active, and participate in sports at the community level, she said.
Al Arifi also spoke about the importance of having female roles in each department: “I noted that the increased presence of women at administrative decision-making levels within the game would help to accelerate the development of women’s football,” she said
The women’s football league is definitely in line with Vision 2030 as women’s right is a big part of their idea. They expect to promote and expand female sports and the interest of young women in this world. It’s not just about football; for example, the first international women’s golf tournament also took place in Saudi Arabia a few weeks ago.
2020 was supposed to be the year of the launch, but the pandemic threw up some obstacles. Maram Al-Butairi, financial analyst and football manager, said that the past few months at home made everyone realise how important football was for women, and it was an opportunity to learn more.
While talking with ArabNews, she said: “In football, during the lockdown, we realised that it was an opportunity to take advantage of since everyone was at home. [Women] were eager to know more about football, and they introduced many courses.”
Various virtual courses were made, and one in particular, was very much appreciated. Germany’s women’s national team assistant coach, Britta Carlson, gave a lecture on the “German methodology of physical fitness and technical preparation for women’s football.”
The media have been very interested in covering these new events. The South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) have also launched a Twitter account to keep the supporters informed about all news and developments about women’s football. (@SAFF_WFD).
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