The 2019/2020 NLF season launch was marked by a ceremony attended by SFA President HRH Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud and SFA Managing Director Ms. Shaima Saleh Alhusseini, joined by NLF Association President Mr. Adel Al-Faqi, in addition to a number of prominent Saudi football stars, national coaches, and relevant members of the sports media.
“Under Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia has made the environment and the overall health of our citizens a top priority,” – Prince Khaled
With a database of more than 1,100 team clubs and over 40,000 registered players, the SFA’s objective in supporting the Neighborhoods League of Football is twofold: ensuring that the MENA region’s biggest football league continues to grow through inclusion and expansion, and that all cities across the Kingdom are aware and engaged in the fitness initiative. Seeking to continuing to contribute to Saudi citizenry physical fitness and engagement levels in line with Vision 2030, the SFA has worked closely with the NLF for two seasons with excellent results and high community participation rates.
“The Saudi Sports for All Federation’s launch of NLF 2019/2020 segment is an exciting time for us, having closely noted the achievements over the 2018/2019 season. We had previously worked on significant enhancements that added more features to the current league, and going forward, we also aim to expand and develop football in more neighborhoods in line with SFA goals,” said HRH Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal, President, Saudi Sports for All Federation. “Our commitment to expand and support the NLF is part of our mandate to promote and bolster activities leading to a healthy and active citizenry. This directly linked to Saudi Vision 2030’s directive to increase community fitness and sports engagement levels in Saudi,” Prince Khaled continued.
Mr. Adel Al-Faqi, President, NLF Association, revealed that the matches will begin in Madinah: “The competitions of the season will begin next week at the NLF branch of Madinah city. After Madinah’s matches have started, the rest of the sub-branches across the Kingdom will be activated,” he said.
Ms. Shaima Saleh Alhusseini, Managing Director, Saudi Sports for All Federation, added that processes have been enhanced to increase tournament success rates. “During previous seasons, there were several challenges that the NLF Association and football teams across all regions were facing. The SFA worked closely with all stakeholders to enhance the overall experience, and to facilitate a smooth process for tournaments and registration of teams and players,” she explained. “Sara Aljawini, the SFA’s Director of Sports Development, will be leading this strategic initiative. She has extensive experience in the wider sports sector that she continues to draw on to realize our goals for the NLF.”
Partnering with government organizations, sports delivery bodies, sports federations, and the wider public and private sector to achieve its goals, the SFA focuses on increasing physical activity. The increase of physical activity is achieved by advancing four strategic priorities: education; community and volunteering; fitness and wellbeing; and campaigns and promotion.
It does this by designing and deploying recreational sports programs tailored for women, men, youth, the elderly and persons with disabilities across Saudi Arabia.