New and exciting initiatives are lined up to boost female participation ins sports
The Saudi Sports for All Federation (SFA) is working to maintain its momentum to encourage Saudis of all ages and genders to make healthier life choices and live more active lifestyles. Under the mandates of the Quality of Life Program and Vision 2030, the SFA continuously strives to create a healthy ecosystem that incorporates access to better information, development of sports infrastructure. These efforts include the development of fitness facilities in parks and public spaces in Riyadh, Al-Khobar, and Abha, and the opportunity for everyone in the Kingdom to participate in sports at varying levels.
With participation up 150% over the last five years, a key focus for the SFA is continuously developing women’s sports and encouraging more women and girls to participate. February last year saw the inauguration of the first Women’s Football League, a nationwide community-level league for women aged 17 and above, which kicked off in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam. The SFA also ran the first Women’s Fitness Festival (WFF) – a free three-day event that was live-streamed on YouTube and covered workouts, panel discussions, meal prep and nutrition workshops.
Throughout 2020, the SFA ramped up its innovation and took on the challenge of keeping people active during lockdown with several digital offerings, including the Baytak Nadeek (your home, your gym) campaign that provided full at-home workouts, as well as the “Step Together” series of virtual marathons. People across the Kingdom can also download and log in to the SFA app, which is fully compatible with all the major fitness trackers and has introduced gamification features to keep staying active fun (and a little bit competitive).
2021 looks to be just as exciting as the SFA continues to build on its achievements and offer a great line up programs and activities including leagues, fitness festivals, leadership thought courses and more. New Initiatives are set to be announced soon, along with the confirmed dates and necessary registration information.
