Bayan Sadagah, who co-founded an amateur team in Jeddah in 2017 when there was nowhere to play, now wears the jersey of Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Women's Premier League, according to a report from Bloomberg covered by Semafor. Prize money has quadrupled since the league launched in 2022, with Riyadh's Al-Nassr club taking home 2 million riyals ($531,000) for last season's title. While paydays remain far below those in the men's league, clubs are luring foreign players with tax-free salaries and expat perks. Crowds are still thin; Al-Ittihad's English defender Ashleigh Plumptre has been organizing school trips to the games. Not everyone is put off by the slow start: American tech investor Ben Harburg, who bought Al Kholood last year, told Semafor he was weighing a buyout of a women's club, betting the women's game could one day outpace the men's.
Women's soccer in Saudi Arabia: From stadium ban to professional league prize money quadruples
Eight years after being barred from stadiums, women now play in a state-backed league, but crowds remain thin
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The growth of women's soccer in Saudi Arabia represents a significant social shift in a country where women were banned from stadiums as recently as 2018.
- The league's development could boost women's sports participation across the Gulf region and create new opportunities for international players.
- The trajectory of prize money and attendance will signal whether the sport can build a sustainable fan base.
Background
Eight years ago, Saudi women were barred from entering football stadiums. In 2017, before any state-backed infrastructure existed, Bayan Sadagah co-founded an amateur team in Jeddah simply to give women a place to play. The Saudi Women's Premier League launched in 2022, and prize money has since quadrupled. Clubs are now recruiting foreign talent with financial incentives that include tax-free salaries and expat benefits, though the pay is still well below the men's game.
Key Perspectives
Players and advocates: Players like Sadagah and Plumptre are building the sport from the ground up, investing personal time in school trips to grow attendance. Investors: Ben Harburg sees potential for the women's game to one day outpace the men's in Saudi Arabia, betting on long-term growth. Critics and skeptics: Thin crowds suggest the sport has yet to capture broad public interest, and the gap in pay and exposure between men's and women's leagues remains large.
What to Watch
- Attendance figures at women's league matches, especially efforts like school trip programs.
- Prize money and player salaries relative to the men's league in coming seasons.
- Whether other foreign investors follow Harburg's lead with club buyouts.
Sources
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 10 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedThe headline says women’s soccer has moved from stadium bans to a professional league and that prize money quadrupled.Semafor: “Eight years ago, Saudi women were barred from football stadiums. Now Bayan Sadagah, who co-founded an amateur team in Jeddah in 2017 because there was nowhere to play, wears the jersey of Al-Ittihad in a state-backed professional league, Bloomberg reported. Prize money has quadrupled since the Saudi Women’s Premier League launched in 2022”
- SupportedSaudi women were barred from football stadiums eight years ago, and women now play in a state-backed professional league.Semafor: “Eight years ago, Saudi women were barred from football stadiums. Now Bayan Sadagah, who co-founded an amateur team in Jeddah in 2017 because there was nowhere to play, wears the jersey of Al-Ittihad in a state-backed professional league, Bloomberg reported.”
- SupportedAttendance remains low.Semafor: “Still, crowds remain thin; Al-Ittihad’s English defender Ashleigh Plumptre has been organizing school trips to the games.”
- SupportedPrize money quadrupled since the league launched in 2022.Semafor: “Prize money has quadrupled since the Saudi Women’s Premier League launched in 2022”
- SupportedAl-Nassr received 2 million riyals ($531,000) for last season’s title.Semafor: “Riyadh’s Al-Nassr club took home 2 million riyals ($531,000) for last season’s title.”
- SupportedClubs are luring foreign players with tax-free salaries and expat perks.Semafor: “clubs are luring foreign players with tax-free salaries and expat perks.”
- Not in the sourcesClubs are offering those salaries and perks to build the sport.
- SupportedBayan Sadagah co-founded an amateur team in Jeddah in 2017 because there was nowhere to play, and now wears Al-Ittihad’s jersey.Semafor: “Bayan Sadagah, who co-founded an amateur team in Jeddah in 2017 because there was nowhere to play, wears the jersey of Al-Ittihad in a state-backed professional league”
- SupportedAshleigh Plumptre has been organizing school trips to Al-Ittihad’s games.Semafor: “Al-Ittihad’s English defender Ashleigh Plumptre has been organizing school trips to the games.”
- Partly supportedHarburg is not put off by the sport’s slow start.Semafor: “Not everyone is put off, however: American tech investor Ben Harburg, who bought Al Kholood last year, told Semafor he was weighing a buyout of a women’s club”
- SupportedBen Harburg bought Al Kholood last year.Semafor: “American tech investor Ben Harburg, who bought Al Kholood last year”
- SupportedHarburg told Semafor he was weighing a buyout of a women’s club, betting the women’s game could one day outpace the men’s.Semafor: “told Semafor he was weighing a buyout of a women’s club, betting the women’s game could one day outpace the men’s.”