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September’s – ‘The Power Issue’ – Download Now
As the first all-female footballers representing Saudi Arabia, the Greens Team is at the forefront of the empowering change for women in sport that is happening in the Kingdom
It was only two years ago that women in Saudi Arabia were allowed to attend sporting events in public stadiums. Since this history-making moment in 2018, the attitude towards women in sport in the Kingdom has transformed. At the forefront of the pivotal shift in the country is the Saudi Greens Team, which became the first Saudi women’s team ever to join an international event. In 2019, the Greens competed in the Global Goals World Cup (GGWCup) – a tournament that was launched to champion the role of sport in achieving the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal (SGD) No. 5.

The team – which has been spearheaded by His Highness Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud, the president of the Saudi Sports for All Federation (SFA) – went on to claim second place in the New York City-based tournament, an achievement which was highly praised by many. “The Greens’ participation in the Global Goals World Cup demonstrates the Kingdom’s commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and shows how sports and fitness can play a role in confronting our shared environmental challenges,” Prince Khaled said at the time of the team’s win. “Under Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia has made the environment and the overall health of our citizens a top priority.”

In further support of the Greens, Her Royal Highness Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, the first female Saudi Ambassador to the United States, also expressed how “proud” she was of the team and showcased her support by participating in a panel discussion organised by the GGWCup. “The pride and joy that I feel is so hard to describe; only those who were there with us can really understand,” Greens player, Ms Maram Adel Albutairi, tells Emirates Woman of being in the first all-female team to represent the Kingdom. “We are trailblazing our way, and we are writing history.” Albutairi’s love for football began at a very young age, taking after her mother who is also a “die-hard” football fan. It was after winning a tournament in Eastern Province in Saudi Arabia that she realised she would never want to stop playing.
Albutairi’s fellow teammate Ms Rawh Abdullah Alarfaj shares a similar sentiment about participating in the tournament. A particular milestone for her was being able to work with a global brand like Nike, who sponsored the Greens’ appearance at the GGWCup. Reflecting on her 12 years playing football, Alarfaj reveals she went through “a lot of struggles” to get support for the team she previously managed. “One of the major struggles was getting proper gear for the team,” she says. “Watching official female teams and female World Cup games sponsored by big names throughout those years kept me always dreaming of one day being sponsored by a big global brand. The day Nike sponsored the Greens Team made us feel professional and we felt even more validated.”
The all-female team representing Saudi Arabia on an international level was a history-making moment for the kingdom and in recent years many other positive changes have happened for women in sport and beyond. “It’s all a dream come true, and I actually can say I lived the dream,” Alarfaj says. “For myself and a lot of women like me across Saudi practising all different kind of sports, we’ve been waiting for the day when these changes would happen. Back in the day, we were individuals working towards making female sports live, now we are a whole country working on it altogether.” For the Greens’ player, she attributes it to the “major role” the Saudi Sports for All Federation has played by providing “high-quality opportunities for both girls and women in sport”. With female’s gyms in Saudi Arabia being licensed nowadays, it gives the opportunity for women to practice sports across the board.
“If a girl or woman wants to pursue sports as a career, she can now become an athlete or a coach and seek certification; this wasn’t the case before,” Alarfaj notes. As for the teammates’ hopes for the future, they aspire to continue to fly the flag for female footballers from the Kingdom. “I hope that in the future women footballers in Saudi’s national team will compete in the Women’s World Cup one day,” Albutairi says. “And I would say to all the women in sports: try and try and try once more; you should never give up!”

Shaima Saleh Al-Husseini, Managing Director  for the Saudi Sports for All Federation (SFA)
How did you become Managing Director for the Saudi Sports for All Federation?
I was in the private sector initially. I always felt a need to put my energy to work for Saudi society and give back to my country. I’ve worked across several public sector positions, all in the wellness and sports space, and with the guidance of Her Royal Highness Princess Reema bint Bandar, I was given the opportunity to advocate for Saudi’s healthy and active community as the Managing Director of Sports for All. During Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed’s Presidency, the Federation has gone from strength to strength, and together with our leadership team we’re privileged to serve Saudi by invigorating health and wellness metrics in the country. We are influencing positive behaviours for the long-term, getting people active consistently, and spreading health and fitness as a movement that everyone can and should adopt.”
How have things changed for women in sport in Saudi Arabia?
It is hard to say what has changed, as the question is more what hasn’t changed? Everything has improved by leaps and bounds for women in sport in Saudi. There are now dedicated programs to foster women in sport, and in our case, at the community level, to turn athletics and physical activity into a daily habit for girls from a very young age. The Saudi Sports for All Federation, with the support of the Ministry of Sports, works very closely with the Quality of Life programme, and we have very clear mandates on increasing mass participation, and specifically that of women and girls.
There’s now huge support for elite women athletes as well; as I am sure you know there was not before.”
How is the Saudi Sports for All Federation supporting change for women in sport in the Kingdom?
At Sports for All, we’re working across multiple prongs for societal betterment. Girls and women do of course figure prominently in these plans, as the SFA develops programme for all people – both residents and nationals- in the country. We want to be the most inclusive across genders, all ages and all abilities. We stage sporting events and events that allow people to try new activities on the ground. Our Family Activity Days welcomed more than 314,000 people last year, allowing event-goers to try more than 40 activities on-site. This teaches a love for sports and physical activity from a very young age, and helps to build physical literacy. Another example is our cycling race series for women across three cities that concluded in January of this year. The series had more than 1,000 competitors, and it was a huge moment for women in sports in the Kingdom; they could compete and be rewarded for doing so. Now, SFA is also a change-agent, as together with our partners, both private and public sector entities, we are working on encouraging a mindset of physical fitness and health and wellness. Our whole messaging schema is built around being a change agent: try a new activity, get your kids in a new activity, get up and walk 5,000 steps per day, try that YouTube workout video; join the wave of activity sweeping Saudi, get moving! In addition to events, we have a number of programmes that work to foster a consistent and early exposure to athletics including the SFA’s Girls’ National Sports Days (GNSD). It took place over a six-week period and included more than 24,000 students from 499 schools. There’s a lot more I could talk about in terms of fostering women in sport.
What do you hope for the future of women in football – and sport in general – in Saudi Arabia?
I hope to see more Saudi women become the faces of sport in Saudi. Already we have a few very well-known professional athletes and some fitness professionals that are very well-known at the community level as well. What I hope is that we get there with every sport; that girls beyond count take up and excel in sports. Have you seen our women hockey players? Imagine the surprise at having women’s ice hockey teams in Saudi; it’s real and it’s getting bigger all of the time. Our girls that play on different basketball teams are amazing as well. If you follow Saudi sports social media channels, you’ll see all of these people interact and more, posting images of their contribution to athletics in the country.”
There have been major positive changes that have been made for women in Saudi Arabia. What are your thoughts on this?
Women in Saudi all thank His Majesty King Salman and His Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their belief in Saudi women and our potential and capabilities. We are very lucky to be living during this period in Saudi history; we are encouraged to pursue every ambition and we have the support mechanisms now in place to do so. When you spoke to the Saudi Greens, they said they were living their dreams; we all are.
This is ‘The Power Issue’ – what does power mean to you?
Power means being able to empower others, and at the SFA I’m proud to say that we are empowering people across the country by giving high-quality opportunities and access to sports and health and wellness knowledge to all.
September’s – ‘The Power Issue’ – Download Now
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While the eldest Hadid sister is currently preparing to become a mother for the first time, the youngest, Bella, has paid tribute to their own mother in a sweet “appreciation post”.
The model, 23, took to Instagram to share three photos from Mother’s Day of herself and Yolanda Hadid.

“Appreciation post for my fav [sic] lady in town,” she said. “This was from mother’s day…missing you loving you thinking of you @yolanda.hadid.”
Clearly missing her youngest daughter too, Yolanda responded saying, “I LOVE YOU BABY, hurry home.”

The pair were previously self-isolating together in Pennsylvania along with Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik, who are expecting their first child together, but it seems Bella, Gigi and Zayn are all now in New York City.

Bella has been seen out and about in New York City, while Gigi and Zayn have also briefly been spotted arriving in Manhattan as they prepare to welcome their first child.
Ahead of the arrival of baby Hadid-Malik, the couple arrived in NYC which is where the supermodel intends to give birth, according to E! News. This coincides with their arrival in the city that never sleeps last week where they were photographed by the paparazzi.
It’s fair to assume the pair will be staying in Gigi’s new $5.8 million (Dhs21.3 million) Manhattan apartment, which she gave fans a glimpse of last month.
According to a source close to Gigi and Zayn, the pregnancy has been good for their relationship after the couple reunited at the end of last year.
“Zayn and Gigi are really excited and have been loving this experience together,” the source told E!. “They both are reading parenting books, have had fun planning the nursery and picking out items together. Things are going really smoothly, and they are closer as a couple more than ever.”

The couple has largely kept the impending arrival of their firstborn under wraps, with the 25-year-old only showing off her bump for the first time recently. She also opened up about why she hasn’t shared much of her pregnancy in real-time.
The model revealed she has been documenting her whole journey and will share it “in the future” when she feels it is the right time.
“I have been taking a lot of pictures of my bump and sending it to friends and family and it’s been really cute and exciting,” she said. “I’m trying to document it well because I’ve heard a lot of people say obviously, ‘make sure you don’t miss it.’”
It’s been reported the couple are expecting a girl, but neither of them has officially confirmed the gender.
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A new set of protocols and requirements for those wanting to enter Abu Dhabi were issued over the weekend.
On Friday it was announced by the Abu Dhabi Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Committee that starting on Saturday that visitors and residents would be able to enter the UAE capital provided they had received a negative COVID-19 test result within 48 hours, either through a PCR or DPI test.

Previously it was stated that a DPI test also required a PCR test, but this is no longer the case.
“In line with efforts to expand testing for the early detection of COVID-19 infections, Abu Dhabi Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Committee has updated procedures for entering Abu Dhabi emirate,” Abu Dhabi media office stated on their official Twitter page, sharing more detailed guidelines

In line with efforts to expand testing for the early detection of COVID-19 infections, Abu Dhabi Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Committee has updated procedures for entering Abu Dhabi emirate. pic.twitter.com/2zmpn61ZFK
— مكتب أبوظبي الإعلامي (@admediaoffice) September 4, 2020

However, it was stipulated that those “who stay for six consecutive days or more within Abu Dhabi emirate must now take a PCR test on the sixth day of each visit, in order to protect the health and safety of the community”.

Residents and visitors who stay for six consecutive days or more within Abu Dhabi emirate must now take a PCR test on the sixth day of each visit, in order to protect the health and safety of the community.
— مكتب أبوظبي الإعلامي (@admediaoffice) September 4, 2020

Just recently, it was also reported that there have been some changes made to the self-isolation process for those who test positive for COVID-19 in Abu Dhabi.
According to a report by The National, anyone who tests positive for coronavirus in the emirate must now self-isolate in a healthcare facility which includes designated hotels and hospital.
Self-quarantine was previously allowed in the UAE capital, but this is no longer the case. Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19, even if they appear to be asymptomatic, is now required to be admitted into a healthcare facility.
“The Home Isolation Programme has been discontinued late in August,” Dr Shada Al Ghazali of the Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre told The National. “All Covid-19 cases are isolated in assigned isolation sites and, or hotels.
“This is in line with the emirate’s strategy to control the spread of COVID-19.”
– For more about Dubai’s lifestyle, news and fashion scene follow Emirates Woman on Facebook and Instagram
Feature Image: Visit Abu Dhabi Instagram More

There have been some changes made to the self-isolation process for those who test positive for COVID-19 in Abu Dhabi.

According to a report by The National, anyone who tests positive for coronavirus in the emirate must now self-isolate in a healthcare facility which includes designated hotels and hospital.
Self-quarantine was previously allowed in the UAE capital, but this is no longer the case. Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19, even if they appear to be asymptomatic, is now required to be admitted into a healthcare facility.
“The Home Isolation Programme has been discontinued late in August,” Dr Shada Al Ghazali of the Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre told The National. “All Covid-19 cases are isolated in assigned isolation sites and, or hotels.
“This is in line with the emirate’s strategy to control the spread of COVID-19.”
Per instructions from the government, it’s been reported by the publication that all private hospitals have been cleared of coronavirus cases and those who test positive will be cared for in state-run medical facilities.
The new policy is to help minimise coronavirus cases and infection rates in the UAE capital. With the five field hospitals have a capacity of 1,200 beds, there’s space to accommodate those who are infected.
– For more about Dubai’s lifestyle, news and fashion scene follow Emirates Woman on Facebook and Instagram
Feature Image: Visit Abu Dhabi Instagram More

It’s official – we now know what the next move for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex is after they stepped down from public royal duties earlier this year.
The couple have signed a multi-year deal with Netflix for an undisclosed amount, they confirmed in a statement to the New York Times.

According to the US-based publication, the pair have founded a production company which is yet to be named which will work with Netflix to produce documentaries, feature films, scripted shows and docu-series.
“Our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope,” Prince Harry and Meghan said in a statement to the outlet. “As new parents, making inspirational family programming is also important to us.”

They also added that working with Netflix – which has 193 million subscribers around the globe – will help them “share impactful stories that unlocks action”.

Meanwhile, Netflix is “incredibly proud” of their new partnership with the royal couple, as stated by the streaming giant’s chief content officer and co-chief exec, Ted Sarandos.
“We’re incredibly proud they have chosen Netflix as their creative home and are excited about telling stories with them that can help build resilience and increase understanding for audiences everywhere,” he said in a statement.
Earlier this year, Harry and Meghan stepped back from public royal life and announced their intention to relocate to North America.
For the first part of 2020, the couple were residing in Vancouver, Canada with their one-year-old son Archie.
The pair then relocated to Los Angeles where they were staying up until recently, but have now reportedly moved again further south of LA to Santa Barbara.
Two years ago at their lavish royal wedding, the couple made sure to honour Diana on their special day – Meghan included forget-me-nots in her bouquet.
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A new five-year visa has launched in Dubai for retirees, it was announced on Wednesday by Dubai Media Office.
Launched under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the visa is available for anyone over the age of 55.

Provided the requirements are met for the visa, and they are over the specified age, anyone can apply.

بإمكان أي مقيم أو متقاعد خارج الدولة يزيد عمره على 55 عاماً التقدُّم للحصول على تأشيرة التقاعد عبر الموقع الإلكتروني https://t.co/fhYjf3csGG، وفق مجموعة من المعايير والمتطلبات الخاصة للحصول على تأشيرة تقاعد قابلة للتجديد كل خمس سنوات. pic.twitter.com/LzbV9oEFQo
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) September 2, 2020

Per the Khaleej Times, specific income requirements must be met. Those intending to apply for the visa must have a monthly income of no less than Dhs20,000 from investments or their pension. If not, they must have a balance of Dhs1 million or own a property in Dubai valued at Dhs2 million.
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In a video released promoting the new visa, the emirate sent a message to those retiring: “Your next chapter awaits you.”
For more information on the new visa visit retireindubai.com.
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Lebanese singing icon Fairuz has made a rare public appearance to host the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, at her home for dinner.
Often referred to as the “jewel of Lebanon”, the famed singer, who stepped away from the public eye many years ago, shared a series of photos from her meeting with Macron on August 31.

In the photos, the 85-year-old – whose real name is Nouhad Haddad – is seen wearing a piece from Lebanese designer, Elie Saab, along with a black headband which held a visor in place over her face.

Macron, who was visiting Lebanon following the devastating explosion in the city’s capital, visited Fairuz’s Rabieh home to award her with France’s Legion of Honour – it was established in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte and is the highest order of merit in the nation.
Recalling his exchange with the Lebanese icon, the French president told Al Jadeed, a local television station, “I told her what she means to me.”
“She represents stories of love and a Lebanon dreamed of and loved,” he added.

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It’s hard to believe it’s been 23 years since Princess Diana tragically passed away in Paris.
To mark the anniversary of her death, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – who are both currently based in Los Angeles – made a subtle, yet heartfelt tribute to the late Diana during a recent public appearance they made.

On Monday, Prince Harry and Meghan made an appearance a preschool in LA where they planted an array of plants and flowers with some children.
One of the blooms planted included Diana’s favourite flowers – forget-me-nots – a small tribute to Harry’s mother on the anniversary of her death.

In an Instagram post by Assistance League Los Angeles with photos of Harry and Meghan at the Preschool Learning Centre, it explained the visit by the couple was a “surprise”.

“The children of our Preschool Learning Center got a wonderful surprise when The Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited yesterday,” the caption stated. “In addition to helping the children replant the Preschool Learning Center’s garden, they spent time with them, sharing their appreciation for nature and helping to instill the importance of healthy eating.
“We truly appreciate their time and care for our students.”
Earlier this year, Harry and Meghan stepped back from public royal life and announced their intention to relocate to North America.
For the first part of 2020, the couple were residing in Vancouver, Canada with their one-year-old son Archie.
The pair then relocated to Los Angeles where they were staying up until recently, but have now reportedly moved again further south of LA to Santa Barbara.
Two years ago at their lavish royal wedding, the couple made sure to honour Diana on their special day – Meghan included forget-me-nots in her bouquet.
– For more about Dubai’s lifestyle, news and fashion scene follow Emirates Woman on Facebook and Instagram.
Feature Image: Getty / Sussex Royal Instagram More