Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — In a landmark move, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) has decided to set up a new department to develop women's football in the Kingdom following approval from its board of directors.

The new department, which will be supervised by SAFF board member Adwa Al-Arifi, will develop a strategy and a detailed implementation plan to promote women's football and expand female participation levels across the Kingdom in line with the goals of Vision 2030.

The department will also foster and support the existing women's football community in Saudi Arabia and raise public awareness of the importance of women’s participation in the game.

The new department will also work to ensure the participation of Saudi women’s national representative teams in continental and international competitions.

Welcoming the decision, Al-Arifi remarked that organized women's football in Saudi Arabia has witnessed an encouraging start in the last two years, generating momentum which led to the board’s approval to establish a special department to foster continued growth.

She also noted that the increased presence of women at administrative decision-making levels within the game will help accelerate the development of women's football and keep pace with the strong levels of support for the women’s game from the ministry of sport.

To mark this historic moment, SAFF has launched a Twitter account (@SAFF_WFD) to help the public keep informed about all news and developments in relation to women's football in the Kingdom.