Saudi Arabia... A historic women's event that sees the light today (photos)

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The first women's football league in the conservative kingdom will be launched in Saudi Arabia on Monday, to begin with it the journey of hundreds of girls and young women towards playing professionally, and perhaps participating in the Women's World Cup one day.

Last week, Riyadh announced the start of the league on November 22 with the participation of 16 teams and under the supervision of the "Women's Football Department" of the Saudi Football Association, just a few years after the ban on women playing the game was lifted.

Saudi Arabia aspires to build a women's team capable of competing in foreign tournaments, something that was unimaginable a short time ago when the religious police imposed strict social rules on women.

Among the most enthusiastic is the talented young woman, Farah Jafri (18 years), who hopes to one day achieve her "dream" of becoming a professional in the English Premier League and leading her country to the Women's World Cup.

"My beginnings with football were difficult because people did not accept (the idea) and there were no teams to play football," said Jefri, who tied her hair behind her head during a gathering of players chosen to form the basis of the national team in Riyadh.

"My family and friends were encouraging me" to continue my dream, said the university young woman, who holds the number 16 shirt and shows great dribbling and shooting skills.

Like other Saudi women who are passionate about football, Jefri used to practice her hobby with her relatives in the street or school and console herself by watching football matches on television, without allowing them to participate in any official activities of the game.

But it has benefited from the unprecedented social and cultural openness that Saudi Arabia has witnessed since in 2017, the young Prince Mohammed bin Salman, son of the Saudi monarch, became crown prince in a kingdom where young people make up about two-thirds of its population of about 35 million.

Women were allowed to drive, the ban on mixing between men and women was ended, and the powers of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice were reduced, knowing that Riyadh continues to face accusations by human rights organizations of repressing activists, intellectuals and clerics.

Jafri is one of about 30 players who make up the nucleus of the women's national team, who were chosen from among about 400 participants, according to officials.

The league will be held in two phases through the regional league in its first phase, with the participation of 16 teams, and its matches will be held in 3 cities (Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam) with the participation of 6 clubs from each region (except for Dammam 4 teams) to play in a two-round league system.

"I dream of the day when I can represent my country in the Women's World Cup," said Geoffrey, who dreams of playing at Manchester City.

There are no women's teams affiliated with sports clubs in Saudi Arabia, whose men's team has qualified for the World Cup on five occasions.

In their training session at Prince Faisal Stadium in Riyadh, the female players, some of whom were not veiled, wore black tracksuits and long pants under their track shorts.

The team's goalkeeper, Lama Al-Anezi, 25, expressed her happiness for being selected in the team. "I made my dream come true and my family's dream come true," said the architecture graduate.

Saudi Arabia has established three regional training centers for young girls from 13 to 17 years old with the aim of attracting young talents, in a larger plan that aims to establish 9 centers by 2025.

A few months ago, the Kingdom appointed German veteran Monica Staab as the first coach for its nascent national team for women.

"Everything is new here, just as a child starts to walk and then stands," said the white-haired Stubb, who won the European Women's Club Championship as a coach in 2002.

The "Green Falcons" players are preparing for their first international friendly match in February.

Stubb, who previously coached the national teams of Bahrain and Qatar, is optimistic, saying that "in five to eight years they will be number one among the Gulf countries", which all have women's national teams.

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