Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The official new season of the Neighborhoods League of Football (NLF) 2019-20 was launched last week in Riyadh, sponsored by the Saudi Sports for All Federation (SFA).

The NLF season launch was marked by a ceremony attended by SFA President Prince Khaled Bin Alwaleed Bin Talal and SFA Managing Director Ms. Shaima Saleh Alhusseini, joined by NLF Association President Adel Al-Faqi, in addition to a number of prominent Saudi football stars, national coaches, and relevant members of the sports media.

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 2019-20 segment is an exciting time for us, having closely noted the achievements over the 2018-19 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 Prince Khaled Bin Alwaleed. “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,” he continued.

Adel Al-Faqi 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 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.”

The SFA, a proactive community sport and wellness organization aimed at promoting a healthy lifestyle in Saudi Arabia, aims to provide access to opportunities for all members of society to practice physical activity.