Saudi women footballers set their sights on green goals

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The Greens’ squad are using the plastic bottles they collected at the football stadium to create an art work that will highlight the harm plastic does to the planet. (Supplied photo)
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The Greens’ squad are using the plastic bottles they collected at the football stadium to create an art work that will highlight the harm plastic does to the planet. (Supplied photo)
Updated 28 May 2019
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Saudi women footballers set their sights on green goals

  • Eight female players have formed the Greens team to promote environmental causes across the Kingdom
  • The group is led by Rawh Alarfaj, who played football for 12 years

DUBAI: In the natural scheme of things, sports and environment are not easy to combine. But a group of eight Saudi women are attempting just that through their football team, the Greens.

The team’s members want to use their passion for sport to raise environmental awareness and bring about a mindset change across the Kingdom.

The Greens were established by the Saudi Sports for All Federation two months ago — specifically to promote environmental causes. The federation focuses on sports as a social, rather than professional, activity for women, men, adults, children, the elderly and people with special needs.

Leading the Greens is Rawh Alarfaj, 34, who played football for 12 years before deciding to become a coach.

“I am very passionate about sports overall, but my speciality is football and I feel I am good at it,” Alarfaj, who lives in Riyadh, told Arab News. “One of the things that keeps me going is that I am one of the founders of the Challenge Sports Club, which I manage right now.

FASTFACT

 

• The Global Goals World Cup is an alternative sports tournament that creates a community and inspires and engages women from all over the world.

• A one-day football celebration was created for 30 teams in Copenhagen.

• All teams qualify by choosing and creating an action plan on how to work with one of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

“We were focused at first only on football. But from the beginning of 2017, we have also had a basketball team for women in Riyadh.”

“We run programs for everyone in society because our goal is to increase the level of public participation in sports in Saudi Arabia from 13 percent in 2015 to 40 percent by 2030, based on a study we did at the federation,” said Alarfaj.

“Today, we’re at 18 percent. The programs focus on all kinds of sports. Just days ago, in the Danish capital Copenhagen, we took part in the Global Goals World Cup, which promotes causes such as environmental ones.”

The tournament, better known as GGWC, frames the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a sport, with 30 teams worldwide competing to create the kind of world they would like to see. Each team creates an action plan with a particular global goal and strives to achieve it in their own country.

For the Greens, the focus was SDG 15: “Life on Land.” “We thought it would be a good global goal to choose right now because the issue has many sides,” Alarfaj said. “Awareness of the state of the environment is a very important topic now. So we organized a number of campaigns across the Kingdom.”

During a male professional football league game in Riyadh, Greens players distributed reusable bags as they educated the crowds about the benefits of using them instead of plastic bags.

After the event, the team — with the help of a number of young Saudis — cleaned up the stadium. They collected plastic bottles for use in building a “plastic art work” — due for completion in June — which highlights the harm they do to the planet.




The Greens promoted their cause at a football match. (Supplied photo)

The environmental protection campaign was not confined to Riyadh alone. A clean-up drive was undertaken by the Greens at a public park in Alkhobar, in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, while awareness talks were held in Jeddah about how plastic harms marine life.

“These campaigns are really important,” Alarfaj said. “A lot of young people volunteered to help us and it’s something that needs to be a part of the culture.”

Such campaigns gain the team points toward their final tournament score. “Global Goals isn’t just about football,” she said. “It’s about the SDGs and how to achieve them through sports, specifically female football. It’s very good to take part in sports for a cause and to have this culture in Saudi Arabia.”

Having taken part in the GGWC this year, the Greens hope to host the tournament in the Kingdom in a couple of years. “To win, you can’t just go out and play,” Alarfaj said. “You have to organize these campaigns and engage society in the goal you choose.

“Sports is the most peaceful activity which people can use to espouse a cause,” she said. “So I recommend that people get more engaged with sport and use it as a tool to spread awareness about different causes.”

Lujain Kashgari, 28, discovered she loved football when she was only 8 years old. She used to play the sport with her relatives as children. 

As she grew older, so did her passion for the beautiful game. “It’s my favorite hobby and biggest passion today,” said Kashgari, who was originally from Jeddah but lives in Alkhobar at present.

“My mission was to come up with an initiative that engaged the people of Eastern Province and also made a big impact on Life on Land through plastic recycling.”

A lot of young people volunteered to help – it’s something that needs to be a part of the culture.

Greens coach Rawh Alarfaj

To this end, Kashgari asked residents and communities to donate 10,000 plastic bottles to a recycling center. She also targeted children by organizing a fun learning day in the Altamimi public park, while teaching others in schools about the importance of recycling through playing a game.

“What I really liked about the GGWC is that it combines sports with humanities and a good cause,” Kashgari told Arab News. “I have learnt a lot about sustainability and simplicity, while enjoying every moment of the football tournament and scoring three goals. It was an amazing opportunity and an unforgettable experience.”

She said many Saudis lack awareness of ways to implement the specific goal of Life on Land.

“When I read about the Life on Land global goal, especially the concept of the three Rs (recycle, reuse and reduce), and looked around, even at myself, I realized that we might have known about it, but we needed a reminder,” Kashgari said.




their clean-up campaigns have attracted the interest of young Saudi volunteers. (Supplied photo)

“Even when we reached out to recycling centers, we found that they don’t really take plastic bottles unless it’s a massive amount. They don’t support communities or individuals, so I realized it’s very important that we do something about it and give it more attention.”

As a football club, the Greens were able to collect plastic bottles over a period of two weeks to recycle them. It also collaborated with five schools and two sports clubs in Alkhobar to collect 100 tons of plastic bottles, utensils and plates — the minimum required for recycling at the center.

According to Alyah Aboalola, a Greens player from Jeddah, more needs to be done for environmental protection in the Kingdom.

“I was focused more on raising awareness about the sea because local residents in Jeddah are into scuba diving as part of their interest in life under water,” Aboalola, 24, said. “There’s a lot of plastic being thrown into the sea, which affects the quality of marine life and coral life.”

Currently involved full time with a sports academy, Aboalola said she was thrilled as a Greens player to have reached the semifinals in Copenhagen.

“I’d like to do this professionally later on,” she said. “When you take part in sports, you build a community and, through it, we can do more for society. I’d like to always keep sports and environmental
causes connected.”


Riyadh launches Middle East’s largest urban rail network 

Updated 13 sec ago
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Riyadh launches Middle East’s largest urban rail network 

  • $22bn, energy-efficient Metro system will be a world leader, official says

RIYADH: The first three lines of the Riyadh Metro will begin operating on Sunday, forming part of the largest urban rail network in the Middle East.

Riyadh Metro, which is a key pillar of Saudi Vision 2030, is a crucial step toward reducing traffic congestion in the capital, and improving quality of life for the city’s residents.

The first phase of the Riyadh Metro starts with three lines: the Blue line, connecting Olaya Street to Al Batʼha; the Yellow line, running along King Khalid International Airport Road; and the Purple line, covering Abdul Rahman bin Awf Road and Al-Shaikh Hassan Bin Hussain Street.

The Red line, covering King Abdullah Road, and the Green line, spanning King Abdulaziz Road, are both scheduled to begin operating on Dec. 15, while the Orange line, which covers Madinah Road, starts on Jan. 5, 2025.

The Riyadh Metro was launched 12 years after the project was announced in April 2012, when the Saudi Cabinet approved the implementation of the public transport project and formed a high-level committee to oversee it. Despite the challenges faced by the project, including the global pandemic, it was ultimately completed.

Contracts for the Riyadh Metro project were awarded in 2013 to three global consortiums, with a total value of about $22.5 billion (SR84.4 billion).

The project features several sustainable characteristics that promote eco-friendly transportation options. The metro system will employ energy-efficient trains and stations, as well as technologies such as regenerative braking to reduce energy consumption.

Additionally, some stations will be equipped with thousands of solar panels, and each metro station will rely on electricity sourced from renewable energy.

Maher Sheira, supervisor of digital infrastructure for the King Abdulaziz Public Transport Project in Riyadh, told Arab News: “Our target is to reduce traffic within the city by up to 30 percent. This goal is supported by the metro’s capacity to transport up to 3.6 million passengers daily, which is a challenging target, especially when compared to other cities that have struggled to transition car users to public transportation.”

Achieving this goal depends on several factors, including the city’s infrastructure, integration of various transport modes, and the overall complementarity of these services, he said.

“This project is one of the key initiatives that could help make these goals a reality.”

Sheira said that the launch of the metro and improvement of public transportation will not only alleviate traffic congestion, but also also play a crucial role in reducing carbon emissions.

“We all know that shifting from daily car use to public transportation can have a significant environmental impact,” he said.

“In a small study we conducted, we found that if 100,000 passengers switch from cars to public transport, it could save over 3 million trees annually. This number has the potential to grow even further.”

He said both the metro and the bus systems are integral parts of the King Abdulaziz Public Transport Program.

These systems are seamlessly integrated, ensuring a smooth and reliable experience for passengers. Once a passenger exits a metro station and boards a bus, they will use the same ticket and enjoy the same high level of service.

“To ensure quality, the design of both networks was focused on delivering first-class standards, with an emphasis on maintaining top-tier service throughout the entire journey,” Sheira added.

“The quality of service is evident throughout the system. You can see it at the stations, on the trains, and certainly on the buses and at the bus stops. We are committed to maintaining this high standard of quality and will continue to do so.”

Numerous factors have been taken into account to ensure the success and efficiency of the vast network.

“Our goal is to keep Riyadh at the forefront of global cities in terms of public transportation. This is our objective, and with determination, we are confident that we will achieve it, Inshallah,” he said.

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Inspiring story

The inspiring story of the Riyadh Metro began in 2009, led by a visionary king with determination and ambition for the future; the story’s hero is King Salman. 

The document was submitted by King Salman to develop the public transportation system in Riyadh.

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My Lord, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz — May Allah preserve you. 

I am honored to inform Your Royal Highness that the city of Riyadh, which is witnessing significant population growth, urban expansion, and substantial economic prosperity, has started to experience severe traffic congestion on its main streets due to the ongoing rise in traffic.

Accordingly, the High Commission for the Development of Riyadh has developed a comprehensive and long-term plan to enhance the city’s public transportation system.

First: Establishing the backbone of the public transportation system through manufacturing an electric train.

Second: Implementing a bus network that covers all areas of Riyadh, with its services integrated with the electric train system. The network covers 708 kilometers and is also integrated with the local network within residential neighborhoods. 

The High Commission has fully prepared the engineering designs, technical specifications, and tender documents for this phase, paving the way for its implementation. 

Therefore, I kindly request Your Highness’s approval of this matter. May Allah preserve you, guide your steps, and grant you success. Peace and blessings be upon you. 

Chairman of the High Commission for the Development of Riyadh

Salman bin Abdulaziz

20/10/2009

 

https://x.com/cgcsaudi/status/1862565536720114022?s=48&t=1IDdyc8DBnGT1CQNkMFTqg


A tapestry of cultures: Indonesian batik meets Saudi heritage

Updated 9 min 59 sec ago
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A tapestry of cultures: Indonesian batik meets Saudi heritage

  • Centuries-old art form of batik deeply rooted in Indonesian culture
  • Included on UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage

RIYADH: Reporting on the Saudi International Handicrafts Week Exhibition (Banan) on Saturday, the Saudi Press Agency highlighted the Indonesian pavilion, which showcased the exquisite art of batik.

Indonesian artisans had creatively blended traditional batik techniques with motifs inspired by different regions of the Kingdom, “creating stunning pieces that seamlessly intertwine the two cultures,” according to the SPA.

The centuries-old art form of batik is deeply rooted in Indonesian culture, and is included on UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. It involves a meticulous process known as wax resist-dyeing to create its intricate patterns. The designs often have cultural and religious significance, reflecting the deep connection between Indonesians and their environment.

The convergence of Indonesian and Saudi artistic traditions at Banan, which ended on Friday, “exemplifies the power of art to transcend cultural boundaries,” the SPA stated.

Dalia Alyahya, head of the handcrafts sector at the Heritage Commission, which organized the event, highlighted the significance of such cultural exchanges.

“Through art, we can bridge cultural divides and foster global harmony. Batik, with its rich history and enduring appeal, continues to inspire and connect people across the world,” Alyahya told the SPA.

Artists and representatives from more than 20 countries exhibited at the event alongside the Kingdom’s own talent.

Through Banan and other initiatives, the Heritage Commission “raises awareness about the importance of handicrafts as part of cultural heritage, ensuring they are preserved and passed on,” the SPA wrote.


Royal order approves transformation of King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital

Updated 24 min 16 sec ago
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Royal order approves transformation of King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital

RIYADH: A royal order was issued on Saturday to transform King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital and Research Center into an independent, non-profit institution under the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Ibrahim bin Mohammed Al-Sultan, acting CEO of the commission, thanked King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their commitment to improving health services in the Kingdom, the SPA added.

Al-Sultan said that the transformation will “establish the hospital as a global leader in ophthalmology, reflecting the leadership’s dedication to providing world-class healthcare.”

The hospital's transformation is part of a broader initiative to enhance specialized health and educational entities, including King Saud University and King Faisal Specialist Hospital.

The Royal Commission will oversee the hospital’s development, ensuring it aligns with international standards and “continues to serve as a cornerstone of Saudi healthcare excellence,” the SPA reported.

 


Thai scholar thanks Saudi Arabia for ‘transformative role’ in his life

Updated 30 November 2024
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Thai scholar thanks Saudi Arabia for ‘transformative role’ in his life

RIYADH: Abdullah Mustafa, a prominent Muslim scholar from Thailand and one of the guests of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques’ Program for Umrah and Visit, has expressed gratitude to Saudi Arabia for its pivotal role in shaping his life and career, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Fifty years ago, a young Mustafa embarked on a life-changing journey to Saudi Arabia, receiving a scholarship from the Islamic University of Madinah. He fondly recalled the simplicity of the Prophet’s Mosque during his early days — a stark contrast to the magnificent religious landmark it has become today.

During his 16 years in Saudi Arabia, Mustafa immersed himself in Islamic studies, earning a doctorate in Islamic advocacy and interfaith dialogue. His academic pursuits were particularly focused on understanding Buddhism, the predominant religion in Thailand, and developing effective strategies for Islamic outreach.

Upon his return to Thailand, he dedicated his life to spreading the message of Islam. He translated the Holy Qur’an into the Thai language, making it accessible to a wider audience. His tireless efforts have led to numerous conversions and a strengthened Muslim community in Thailand.

He emphasized the enduring impact of Saudi Arabia’s support for Muslims worldwide and highlighted the “esteemed” position held by graduates of Saudi universities in various fields, including education and Islamic jurisprudence.

Looking to the future, Mustafa expressed hope that his daughter, currently studying at Taibah University in Madinah, will continue his legacy of serving Islam.

He acknowledged the Kingdom’s progressive approach to education, emphasizing the importance of women scholars in Islamic advocacy.

He also extended heartfelt thanks to King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their unwavering commitment to serving Islam and Muslims around the world, and gratitude to the Ministry of Islamic Affairs for its endeavors to promote moderate Islam and foster “global Islamic unity.”


Saudi Arabia’s 26th relief plane lands in Lebanon

Updated 30 November 2024
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Saudi Arabia’s 26th relief plane lands in Lebanon

  • Continuing mission follows the directives of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s humanitarian efforts for the Lebanese population displaced by the conflict continues with the 26th relief plane arriving at Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport on Saturday morning.

The aircraft, operated by King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, was loaded with various relief aid, including food, medical and shelter supplies, state news agency SPA reported.

The continuing mission follows the directives of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to support the Lebanese people.