Saudi women take their place in the football stands

16 January 2018
Riyadh's social reforms will contribute to the economic objective of raising household spending on cultural and entertainment

Saudi Arabia allowed women to attend a live football match for the first time on Friday, 12 January, overturning ultra-conservative interpretations of the decades-old rules separating the sexes.

The relaxation of the rules at sports venues forms part of a series of reforms initiated by Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman last year that will include the reopening of cinemas in the kingdom after 35 years and the planned lifting of the prohibition on women driving on 24 June.

Saudi women first entered a sports venue in September last year, when hundreds were allowed to enter a stadium in the capital Riyadh to attend celebrations marking Saudi Arabia’s national day.

However, the excitement ahead of the inaugural football match on Friday – a clash between Saudi Premier League clubs al-Ahli and al-Batin in Jeddah – was evident among female football fans.

Lamya Khaled Nasser, a 32-year-old soccer fan from Jeddah, told AFP: “This event proves that we are heading for a prosperous future. I am very proud to be a witness of this massive change.”

Ruwayda Ali Qassem, another Jeddah resident, commented: “I am proud for this development and for the kingdom’s moves to catch up with the measures adopted by many countries.”

The social reform also has economic objectives: namely that as part of its Vision 2030 plans, the government plans to raise household spending on cultural and entertainment from 2.9 per cent of GDP, equivalent to SR75bn ($20bn) in 2016, to 6 per cent by 2030.

Opening up both the country’s existing and upcoming avenues of entertainment is an important step towards achieving this objective.

Despite the anticipation, the family section for Friday's match was still less than half full, even at only 20 riyals ($6.73) a ticket. “A lot of people wanted to wait and see how it is. Some thought it wouldn’t be very safe or organised,” said Sarah Swick, a US-born resident who attended the game with her Saudi husband and son, to ABC.

If so, the reticence was misplaced however, as the football clubs are just as eager to host fans as they are to attend. Stadiums across Saudi Arabia have allocated family sections and been fitted with freshly furnished female prayer areas and restrooms, as well as separate entrances and parking lots for female spectators.

At the Jeddah Pearl Stadium, ushers wearing orange vests over their traditional black abaya robes greeted the female fans and their families. Ahead of the game on Friday, the competing clubs were also already looking to the marketing opportunities and took to Twitter to market special abayas in their team’s colours.

Earlier the same day, ahead of the football game, another sign of change was the opening of the country’s first car showroom dedicated to female customers, in advance of Saudi Arabia's next big step on 24 June.

The anticipation for that development, which will see women formally permitted to drive, will give Saudi women not only personal transport, but an invigorated sense of of agency and independence.

A MEED Subscription...

Subscribe or upgrade your current MEED.com package to support your strategic planning with the MENA region’s best source of business information. Proceed to our online shop below to find out more about the features in each package.