Female participation rose from 8% in 2015 to 19% in 2019, Ms. Shaima Saleh Al-Husseini told viewers of the recent SIGA Web Summit
The Saudi Sports for All Federation’s Managing Director, Ms. Shaima Saleh Al-Husseini, gave a keynote speech at the SIGA Web Summit on Female Leadership in March, highlighting the growth of female participation in sports in Saudi Arabia.
SIGA – the Sport Integrity Global Alliance – hosted its three-day summit primarily to address the most pressing challenges that impact women working in the sports industry.
During her speech, Ms. Al-Husseini highlighted the important work the SFA has done since 2018 to make regular physical activity accessible to all members of society, regardless of their age, gender, background or ability.
Ms. Al-Husseini told viewers that female participation in sports across the country has increased massively in recent years – rising from 8% in 2015 to 19% in 2019 – while the obstacle of social barriers has decreased massively – falling from 18% in 2015 to 1% in 2019.
Key to these improvements has been the SFA’s range of female-focused programs, including a three-day online Women’s Fitness Festival and the launch of a Women’s Football League in 2020, which saw 24 teams and 600 players compete in three cities.
Ms. Al-Husseini also highlighted the women-only Global Goals World Cup (GGWCup) competition, where the Saudi Greens team won second place at the 2019 finals in New York. On the back of this success, Saudi Arabia will host its own GGWCup competition later this year, with 40 all-female teams already signed up to take part.
In closing, Ms. Al-Husseini told viewers: “Our brand stands for Sports for All, and everyone in SFA has the opportunity to … be physically active as part of their daily lifestyle in the Kingdom.”
