Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

Players hail the success of first Saudi women’s Regional Football League

Players hail the success of first Saudi women’s Regional Football League

The final whistle has blown in the group stage of the Regional Football League, the first official league competition for female soccer players in Saudi Arabia, with Al-Yamamah, Jeddah Eagles and Eastern Flames crowned champions of the central, western and eastern divisions, respectively.

In addition to the pride and joy they felt while competing in a league of their own, the players said it gave them the chance to develop their technical skills and improve their physical fitness, in anticipation of a chance to represent their country in a Saudi national women’s team in the future.

Sama Al-Sabiani of western division side White Lion said she really enjoyed playing in the first women’s league in the Kingdom, and that it had helped improve the organization of the team and resulted in remarkable improvements in the performance of the players as it gave them the opportunity to play against strong opponents.

“As players, we gained endurance and played with a higher fighting spirit than ever before; we gave it our all,” she said.

“Not only did we give a great performance, we really enjoyed ourselves.”

The 16-team league provided strong motivation for the players to develop and improve their skills, Al-Sabiani said, and White Lion trained really hard for it, although ultimately they finished outside the top three in their division who now proceed, with the top three in the central division and the top two from the eastern division, to the national championship, which begins at King Abdullah Sports City on New Year’s Day.

“As players, we fought and won several games, and we aspired to more victories to qualify for other leagues in the future,” Al-Sabiani added.

Rana Abdullah Saeed, a midfielder for The Storm, who finished second in the western division, said: “I had a great experience and I am very happy that the Saudi Arabian Football Federation has taken this step. I am sure the SAFF will organize more leagues in the future and will continue to support women's football in particular, and sports in general.”

She added that the new league has had a very positive effect on her game.

“I was able to improve my technical skills and this experience has given me the motivation to develop my performance both on and off the field, making sure I eat right and educate myself more by reading sports books and watching videos on YouTube,” she said.

“This league, in particular, has helped me discover my strengths and weaknesses and I aspire to represent the Saudi national team thanks to my recent experience.”

White Lion player Houriya Al-Shamrani also said that the experience of playing in the Regional Football League had helped her to improve her skills and gain experience, and also helped the players to develop a competitive team spirit. She added that she benefited from playing under pressure and on natural grass.

“I was able to maintain my fitness level and meet many talented players,” Al-Shamrani said. “I also had the opportunity to speak with the undersecretary for planning and development at the Ministry of Sports, Adwa Al-Arifi, and listen to her advice. I will never forget her support when I was injured.

“I aspire to be the best player in the league and represent the Saudi national team and I want to be the first Saudi player to participate in the English Premier League.

“I would like to thank Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the SAFF for giving us this opportunity and I am sure the best is yet to come.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
×