Okaz/Saudi Gazette

RIYADH — Over 350 Saudi women have participated in the women's education program for refereeing football matches, remotely on grass playgrounds and indoor stadiums, organized by the Women's Football Development Administration in cooperation with the Main Referees Committee of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF).

The education program is being carried out with the participation of a selection of the best male and female refereeing lecturers, including the Deputy Chairman of the Referees Committee Yusuf Mirza, Referees Training Officer Abdulmohsin Al-Zuwayid, International Lecturer and Futsal Football Referees Officer in SAFF Abdul Rahman Al-Ahmari, Palestinian International Woman Referee Hiba Saadia, and Lebanese International Woman Referee Reem Shami.

These programs come within the development and strategic plans being implemented by the Women's Football Development Administration headed by a member of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF), Adwaa Al-Arifi.

The administration aims to educate and develop women wishing to enroll in the field of refereeing for women and provide them with the latest amount of knowledge in the refereeing.

The lecturers in the programs focused on many important aspects, including the specifications of the referee, definition of the laws, materials measured in the law, the duties of referees, and violations and misconduct.

The female participants then took a theoretical test to determine the extent of their understanding of the lectures.

The Women's Football Development Administration, headed by Al-Arifi is exerting great efforts to advance Saudi women’s sports and bring it to the forefront of the world countries by training and developing women, making sure they gain all the skills and techniques and cover all aspects related to football, whether at the technical, refereeing or organizational level.