Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH – Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) approved on Sunday the establishment of the Amateur Clubs Association (Hawi) and its basic regulations.

The new entity will be responsible for establishing and empowering amateur clubs, under the presidency of the Quality of Life Program Center, and will be the technical supervisory authority for hobbies in the Kingdom.

The Quality of Life Program 2020 is one of the Vision Realization Programs of Saudi Arabia, which aims to improve individuals’ lifestyles by developing an ecosystem to support and create new options that boost citizens and expatriates participation in cultural, environmental and sports activities.

The Vision 2030 is keen to transform the Saudi society into a vibrant one within the pillars of the Vision, which has the direct support of the wise leadership.

Hawi, which will be the umbrella body for amateur clubs in the Kingdom, is one of the important outputs of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, in order to activate the national strategy for the hobbies sector.

Hawi has been accredited under the presidency of the Quality of Life Program Center, with the participation of ministries and government agencies such as Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Sports, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, Ministry of Media, Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Presidency of State Security, General Entertainment Authority, General Commission for Audiovisual Media, and the General Authority of Civil Aviation.

Hawi will be the organizational entity for citizens and expatriates to establish and register amateur clubs and practice hobbies in the Kingdom.

It will work to improve the quality of sports, cultural, entertainment activities and other hobbies and provide the necessary financial support for them.

Hawi will also establish national networks that include all clubs, and assist in transferring expertise and international best practices to these clubs and increasing awareness about their importance.

By the end of the year 2020, the Quality of Life program aims to establish and register more than 450 amateur clubs. This number will increase significantly over the coming years.

Hawi will enable amateur clubs to offer cultural, sports and entertainment activities and other diverse and entertainment events according to an organized methodology and professional work.

The ministry will announce later the launch of the approved online platform for submitting applications to establish and register amateur and hobby clubs, as well as the procedures and requirements for registering amateur and hobby clubs in the Kingdom.