Saudi women applaud kingdom’s decision to let them into football stadium for first time

‘I am proud of the kingdom’s moves to catch up with civilised measures adopted by many countries’

SAUDI ARABIAN women were allowed into a football stadium to watch a match for the first time yesterday, as the ultraconservative kingdom gradually eases restrictions on women’s rights.

For decades, women have been banned from sports stadiums but yesterday they were allowed into a Saudi Professional League game in the coastal city of Jeddah.

Women were only allowed to sit in the “family section” and could not mix freely with the largely male crowd but the moment was still hailed as a breakthrough in a country consistently ranked as one of the worst places in the world for women’s rights. “I am proud and extremely happy for this development, and for the kingdom’s moves to catch up with civilised measures adopted by many countries,” said Ruwayda Ali Qassem, a Jeddah resident.

Female fans of Jeddah’s Al-ahli Football Club wore green scarves over their black abayas during the match against the eastern province team of Al-batin. Construction teams had scrambled to build female lavatories and section off a parking area ahead of the game. An allfemale team of stewards helped to steer them to their seats. Around 7,500 seats in the 62,000-seat King Abdullah Sports City stadium were made available to women and families, according to Saudi sports authorities. Another game at Saudi Arabia’s national stadium in Riyadh will be open to women today.

The stadium opening was part of a series of reforms spearheaded by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, the king’s ambitious 32-year-old son, who is intent on reshaping his country.

Women will be allowed to drive from June, ending a tradition that has for years been an emblem of Saudi Arabia’s archaic laws on gender. Driving schools for women are expected to open in March so that a new generation of female drivers will be ready to obtain their licences as soon as the ban lifts.