Saudi Arabia is taking giant strides in the world of sport, entering new spheres and bringing in fresh investment and vision. After heavy investments in golf and men's football, the kingdom is now turning its attention to women's football.
The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) on Monday announced a funding initiative and support system for the women’s game.
The groundbreaking project is designed to strengthen and enhance women’s football leagues and the wider sport in Saudi Arabia.
The SAFF programme will provide financial assistance to the Saudi Premier League and women's first division clubs.
To be eligible for this funding, clubs must have a SAFF membership and Nafes license to actively participate in all women’s tournaments organised by the federation. They must also meet the organisational and technical requirements issued by SAFF. Furthermore, clubs must demonstrate their financial adequacy and commitment to a financial efficiency system.
Under the ambitious venture, SAFF will allocate 49.9 million Saudi riyals ($13m) to women’s football programmes across the country.
Commenting on the occasion, Lamia Bahaian, the newly elected vice-president of SAFF, said: “Today’s announcement is another monumental step for SAFF in our unwavering dedication to developing and sustaining a thriving women’s football presence in the kingdom.
"We aim to inspire young girls that a career in football is not only feasible for them but promising. Women and girls are central to everything we do in sport, ensuring that we provide equal access to facilities, opportunities, and careers both on and off the pitch. This is made possible thanks to the tremendous support received from SAFF's management.”
She added: “A key motivation behind this programme has stemmed from witnessing an incredible 30 per cent growth in women’s football clubs and players across Saudi Arabia, not just the major cities, over the past year. The interest potential of women’s football is vast and we want to ensure we are doing everything we can to support and sustain this growth.”
Among the many goals of the programme are expanding competitions to include an Under-17 team and women’s futsal senior team, creating job opportunities and developing workforce by appointing Saudi female coaches within the technical staff, and recruiting women in the administrative, technical, and medical positions. And also to develop athletes to represent national teams by signing professional contracts.
Women's sports in the kingdom have made remarkable progress, with over 190,000 females now actively participating in various disciplines.
Currently, the Premier and first division leagues feature more than 30 clubs and over 600 players representing more than 20 nationalities.
Nearly 50 female referees are officiating league matches, with the first Saudi female referee – Anoud Al Asmari – obtaining Fifa’s license.
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Employment lawyer Meriel Schindler of Withers Worldwide shares her tips on achieving equal pay
Do your homework
Make sure that you are being offered a fair salary. There is lots of industry data available, and you can always talk to people who have come out of the organisation. Where I see people coming a cropper is where they haven’t done their homework.
Don’t be afraid to negotiate
It’s quite standard to negotiate if you think an offer is on the low side. The job is unlikely to be withdrawn if you ask for money, and if that did happen I’d question whether you want to work for an employer who is so hypersensitive.
Know your worth
Women tend to be a bit more reticent to talk about their achievements. In my experience they need to have more confidence in their own abilities – men will big up what they’ve done to get a pay rise, and to compete women need to turn up the volume.
Work together
If you suspect men in your organisation are being paid more, look your boss in the eye and say, “I want you to assure me that I’m paid equivalent to my peers”. If you’re not getting a straight answer, talk to your peer group and consider taking direct action to fix inequality.
