Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) will host the Women's International friendly tournament from Jan. 11 to 19 in Al-Khobar, Eastern Province.

Four teams will participate in the tournament — Pakistan, Comoros, Mauritius and the hosts Saudi Arabia. The matches have been set to be held at the Prince Saud bin Jalawi Stadium.

Hosting the tournament comes within the goals of the Women’s Football Department at the Saudi Arabian Football Federation to develop the first women’s national football team, which has been launched last year. The national team has already participated in several camps and friendly matches.

Lamia Bin Bahian, member of the Board of Directors of SAFF and Director of the Women's Football Department, said women's football in Saudi Arabia has witnessed great leaps lately through local competitions and regional training centers for girls that contributed to discovering new talents for the national team in upcoming years.

SAFF is harnessing all capabilities to develop women's football, especially as it is among the pillars of the Saudi football transformation strategy that was launched last year, Bahian noted.

She said the upcoming friendly aims to increase cohesion among the players before entering official tournaments in the future.