Saudi Women’s Premier League to kick off with 20 nationalities, 200 players

The Saudi Women’s Premier League returns to action on September 27, as the new season’s kick-off campaign, #SeeUsPlay, invites fans to celebrate women’s football in the kingdom that features 77,000 female players in the school league.

With 90 matches set to take place across the 18-match week campaign of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation’s (SAFF) Women’s Premier League, the third season of top tier professional women’s football in the kingdom will see the game reach new levels in 2024-25, with over 200 players registered for the new season.

Ahead of the new campaign, the league saw over 15 new international signings join the 10 clubs, resulting in the total number of player nationalities reaching more than 20.

The surge of international talent to the Saudi Women’s Premier League is a testament to the growth of women’s football in the kingdom, following on from the qualification of Al Nassr to the Preliminary Stage of the AFC Women’s Champions League in August.

Following the unveiling of the new campaign, SAFF President, Yasser Al Misehal said: “We’re very proud of the growth of women’s football in Saudi Arabia and excited to see the return of the Women’s Premier League.

“The Federation’s investment in women’s football is clearly working so we will continue to increase our investments at all levels.

“As we go into the third season of the league, we have more registered players, football clubs, domestic competitions, national teams, licensed coaches, referees, and girls participating in the regional training centres and the school’s league than ever before.

“I congratulate our Women’s Football Department on this initiative, and wish the players, clubs and officials, good luck and in the spirit of the campaign, encourage everyone across Saudi and beyond to #SeeUsPlay.

“We have so many historic clubs and passionate fans who support them but there is new history to write, and these players simply deserve your support. Everyone benefits from the noise and energy you will bring.”

Ahead of the new season, Head of Women’s Football at SAFF, Aalia Al Rasheed, said: “The development we have seen for the Saudi Women’s Premier League over the past two seasons has been remarkable, going from having no professional female players to now having over 20 nationalities competing here in Saudi Arabia.”

“It has been an incredible experience to witness how this game is inspiring a new generation, with players who saw the formation of our national team in 2021 now joining the women’s professional league and professional women’s clubs now competing on the international stage.

“The Saudi Women’s Premier League continues to develop rapidly with international players now eager to join our clubs and the formation of youth clubs and leagues to support the emerging talents of Saudi football and highlight the unique international stars to join the league this season.

“The record growth at a grassroots level is what we are most proud of, but we are looking forward to seeing how this continues to develop in the coming season, inspired by our new #SeeUsPlay campaign.