Goal! Saudi women attend football match for first time

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‍Saudi women were allowed in a stadium to watch a football game for the first time on Friday. This came on the heels of Saudi Arabia opening its first women-only car showroom and as Riyadh prepares to lift a long-standing ban on women driving.

What has brought on this wave of changes, and does this mean an end to restrictive policies against women in the ultra-conservative kingdom?

What was the stadium fuss about?

Some 300 women in black abaya robes - some also displaying colorful team scarves - streamed into the Al-Jawhara stadium in Jeddah for an 8:00 p.m. football match between top division sides Al-Ahli and Al-Batin.

Female Saudi supporters of Al-Ahli queue at an entrance for families and women at the Al-Jawhara stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on January 12, 2018. /VCG Photo

Female Saudi supporters of Al-Ahli attend their team’s football match against Al-Batin at the Al-Jawhara stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on January 12, 2018. /VCG Photo

Saudi women cheer during a soccer match between Al-Ahli and Al-Batin at the Al-Jawhara stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on January 12, 2018. /VCG Photo

A Saudi family arrives to watch the soccer match between Al-Ahli and Al-Batin at the Al-Jawhara stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on January 12, 2018. /VCG Photo

Saudi women arrive to watch the soccer match between Al-Ahli and Al-Batin at the Al-Jawhara stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on January 12, 2018. /VCG Photo

This was the first time women in Saudi Arabia were allowed to attend a public sporting event, and it followed an announcement by the General Sports Authority in October that stadiums in Jeddah, Riyadh and the Persian Gulf city of Dammam would start to welcome families starting in 2018.

Previously, Saudi women also supported sports teams, but they had to do so from the confines of their home. Only if they travelled abroad were they allowed to attend a game.

On Friday, there was widespread anticipation and women and families with young girls started arriving hours before the match. They entered the stadium through a separate gate and were seated in a special section for women and families, separated by a glass partition from the men’s section.

Al-Ahli won the match 5-0, but for many what happened in the stands was more important than what happened on the pitch.

“It's a day of happiness and joy," one female fan was quoted by AFP news agency.

Two more matches are scheduled to be open to women, on Saturday and on January 18.

Is that the only recent change?

No. In a landmark move in September, Saudi King Salman announced that women would be allowed to drive starting in June. At the moment, the kingdom is the only country in the world where this is not permitted.

In preparation for that, ride-hailing app Uber has already started recruiting female drivers in Saudi Arabia and on Thursday, a car showroom dedicated to female customers opened in Jeddah.

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Women were allowed to attend official national day celebrations for the first time in September.

And in December, Saudi Arabia reportedly hosted its first ever concert by a female performer, Lebanese singer Hiba Tawaji.

Not just women have seen the rules being relaxed.

Public cinemas, banned for 35 years, are due to re-open with the first screenings expected in March. And Saudi Arabia hosted its first Comic-Con – a comic book convention – last February.

Why these reforms?

Saudi Arabia’s influential young Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman launched a “Vision 2030” program last year aimed at diversifying the kingdom’s economy away from oil and turning it into “a global investment powerhouse.”

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attends a cabinet meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, November 28, 2017. /Handout via VCG Photo

The recent reforms – including the crown prince's establishment of an Entertainment Authority overseeing concerts and film – have been seen as part of this effort to repackage the ultra-conservative oil-rich state into a progressive and attractive destination and business hub.

This has appealed to young Saudis, who see in the 32-year-old heir to the throne a modernizing force who can bring about progress after decades with elderly rulers in charge.

Observers however warn that the string of reforms may elicit a backlash by Saudi Arabia’s powerful religious establishment.

What obstacles remain?

Although the end of the driving ban means women in Saudi Arabia will have more autonomy, their daily movements are still very restricted.

Saudi women are seen at the first automotive showroom solely dedicated for women in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia January 11, 2018. /Reuters Photo

They still may not open a bank account, get married or travel abroad without prior permission from a male guardian; they are not allowed to interact freely with men who are not relatives; many public places, including restaurants and offices remain segregated; and while women outnumber men in terms of university graduates, not all jobs are open to them.

While recent reforms have made headlines around the world, they are just token gestures to appease international investors while bringing little actual change to women in Saudi Arabia, critics say.

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