Spanish coaches drive rise of Saudi women’s football after decades of prohibition | OneFootball

Saudi women’s football is taking shape with Spanish coaches prominent, as social rules in Jeddah loosen but remain restrictive. According to El Periódico Mediterráneo, segregation has eased, yet male guardianship endures and the country ranks 132 of 148 for gender equality.

Saudi Vision 2030 has pushed women’s sport after years in which public exercise was curtailed. Physical Education entered girls’ schools in 2018. The national women’s team was created in 2021, and Lluís Cortés has led it for two years.

Authorities began at the top, launching the national side and a professional league in 2022 while grassroots work followed. All league matches are broadcast on television to build visibility and help families accept girls playing.

Coaches initially found players short on conditioning and psychomotor skills, unsurprising after only three or four years of regular sport. Clubs such as Al-Ittihad, led by Raúl Pérez, have focused on fundamentals, from tactics and cognition to nutrition and rest, while handling family hesitancy.

On attire, hijab is optional. Saudi players must wear leggings that cover the legs, a requirement lifted for foreign signings in recent seasons.

Investment is significant, at 1 million riyals, about €230,000, per club each year. Seven of the eight top-flight teams are coached by foreigners, two of them women.

Beyond the state-backed landscape sits Eastern Flames, a women-only club founded in 2006 and the division’s sole independent outfit. Coach Alfonso Mesa recalls being warned not to hug a scorer on camera early on, a gesture now largely accepted.

Source: El Periódico Mediterráneo