Jeddah,
\nSaudi Arabia allowed women to enter a football stadium for the first time to watch a match yesterday, as the ultra-conservative kingdom eases strict decades-old rules separating the sexes.<\/p>\n
The new measure comes after Riyadh, long known for imposing harsh restrictions on women, announced it was lifting a ban prohibiting them from driving, as well as reopening cinemas.<\/p>\n
Women supporters, all wearing the traditional black abaya robe, arrived well ahead of yesterday’s kick-off in the Jeddah stadium, some in sunglasses and others with loose-fitting veils.<\/p>\n
The Islamic kingdom has announced a series of reforms initiated by powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman since last year.<\/p>\n
The first football match women are being allowed to attend is a clash between Saudi Premier League clubs Al-Ahli and Al-Batin in the Red Sea city of Jeddah.<\/p>\n
Alone or accompanied by their families, many women sat in reserved seats in Jeddah’s Pearl stadium.<\/p>\n
Glass panels were set up to separate men supporters from the women and family section of the stadium. Saleh al-Ziadi brought his three daughters to the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy daughters still don’t believe this is happening. They have not yet realised they will be cheering their favourite team inside the stadium,” he said.<\/p>\n
Enthusiasm for the historic encounter began well before the scheduled 8:00 pm kick-off.<\/p>\n
Lamya Khaled Nasser, a 32-year-old football fan from Jeddah, said she was proud and looking forward to the match.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis event proves that we are heading for a prosperous future. I am very proud to be a witness of this massive change,” she told AFP.<\/p>\n
Ruwayda Ali Qassem, another Jeddah resident, called Friday a “historic day in the kingdom which culminates (in) ongoing fundamental changes”.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am proud and extremely happy for this development and for the kingdom’s moves to catch up with civilised measures adopted by many countries,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The Saudi government said last week women would be allowed to attend a second match on Saturday and a third next Thursday.<\/p>\n
The kingdom, which has some of the world’s tightest restrictions on women, has long barred them from sports arenas through strict rules that keep the sexes apart in public.<\/p>\n
But in September, hundreds of women were allowed to enter a sports stadium in the capital Riyadh, used mostly for football matches, for the first time to attend celebrations marking the country’s national day.<\/p>\n
The easing of social controls comes as Prince Mohammed looks to repackage the oil-rich nation as more moderate and welcoming.<\/p>\n
The powerful crown prince’s \u201cVision 2030\u201d programme for a post-oil era stems partly from an economic motive to boost domestic spending on entertainment as the kingdom reels from an energy slump.<\/p>\n
Noura Bakharji, another Jeddah resident, said she always felt bitter when her brothers came back from stadiums to tell her about the excitement of watching football matches in person.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always watched games on TV while my brothers went to the stadiums… I asked myself repeatedly ‘Why I can’t go?'” she told AFP.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, things have changed. It’s a day of happiness and joy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hours before the game, Saudi clubs were encouraging women to attend through tweets on social media.<\/p>\n
Some clubs are offering special abayas — traditional head-to-toe robes for Saudi women — in team colours.<\/p>\n
State-owned Saudi Airlines announced prizes of free tickets for five families who want to travel between cities to watch games.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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