The Saudi Sports for All Federation has been pivotal in boosting the health and wellbeing of Saudi Arabia. We find out how the organization has put the Kingdom on the fast track to fitness through a series of events, activities, and initiatives.
The Saudi Sports for All Federation (SFA) is a dynamic and proactive community sports and wellness organization that strives to inspire and promote a healthy lifestyle in Saudi Arabia. The SFA does this in a number of ways, from countrywide events, campaigns and challenges, to information via the SFA website about nutrition, mindfulness and good health practices.
Headed by the Federation’s President, Prince HRH Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al Said, and Managing Director Ms. Shaima Saleh Al-Husseini, the SFA works closely with government bodies such as the Quality of Life program within Vision 2030, and various ministries including the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs (MoMRA) to ensure public spaces are optimized for activities. SFA has developed a number of key partnerships with private sector entities including PepsiCo and Nike, and global bodies including the World Health Organization, TAFISA, and numerous sports federations and providers. These partnerships allow the SFA to facilitate, enable, promote and invest in health and wellbeing across the country.
A key goal of SFA is to play a leading role in realizing Vision 2030’s healthy lifestyle ambitions through its Quality of Life program. Central to this is helping increase the percentage of people in Saudi participating in physical activity at least once per week to 40%. Participation has already risen from 13% in 2015 to 25% in 2019, so the SFA is well on the way to meeting this target.
“One of the great barriers to having people adopt and internalize healthy habits is a lack of support. Guidance, sound advice, and engaging and fun events, help give people structure and a sense of community that is key to creating lasting change.”
On the ground, the SFA wants to ensure that all members of society have access to fitness and wellbeing, no matter who they are, where they are, or what their circumstances are. Whether it’s through physical activity, youth initiatives, or nutritional advice, the SFA hopes to energize, encourage, and educate people across every province in Saudi Arabia.
The SFA has been helping change an entire society’s mindset towards physical activities; a feat that seems impossible to achieve. However, SFA has been breaking barriers one step at a time to achieve this goal by providing guidance, sound advice, and engaging events.
Wall climbing at the Kid’s Adventure Day at Ha’il Season.
This was especially the case during lockdown, when people were looking for ways to either stay active or become active, as well as find some kind of connection with others despite social distancing. SFA was able to provide this connection in innovative and enjoyable ways through numerous online events. An SFA insight report highlighted the impact of such initiatives, with a 60% increase in people walking, and 30% increase in people running between March and July.
The SFA also goes to great lengths to ensure everybody is included. “It’s important to us that everybody feels welcome at any SFA event, as well as on our website and social channels. Our efforts are designed for all of society, from the absolute beginner to the professional athlete. This democratization gives everybody an entry point, removing barriers – real or perceived – that may have existed before,” said Mr. Osamah Saleh Alnuaiser, SFA Director of Marketing and Communications.
“The ministries, federations, ambassadors, and groups that we partner with do an amazing job in opening up opportunities; reaching out to people across the country and making it easy and fun to stay fit and healthy. It’s a team effort that is really paying off,” he said, emphasizing that SFA is an inclusive and agile entity looking to continue to invigorating the national dialogue on wellness.
The SFA sees Community Sports Groups (CSGs) is vital to supporting an active society, providing camaraderie, as well as a platform for people to share in their passion for sport. These groups bring vital inspiration, support and momentum to the healthy living movement, and we encourage as many to sign up with us as possible. Groups of five people or more that engage in regular physical activity can become CSGs, and they can do this by registering through the SFA website or via the free SFA mobile app launched in July. Once registered, CSGs can participate in a variety of events – as well as creating their own – and can benefit from different types of support from SFA.
Apart from providing access to facilities, and staging CSG-specific events – such as dedicated CSG sports challenges – SFA offers support through licensing, financial grants, sourcing volunteers, and providing communications. The SFA is also on hand to provide advice, guidance and best practices on how to organize events successfully, including finding the best facilities and securing the right permits. “We want these groups to succeed and flourish, and early support can be essential to their growth.”
“SFA’s efforts are designed for all of society, from the absolute beginner to the elite athlete. This democratization gives everybody an entry point, removing barriers – real or perceived – that may have existed before.”
Various CSGs have already created app groups, including groups for various team sports such as basketball and football, as well as running groups, hiking groups, and more. Walking, running, and cycling groups have proved particularly popular across all the regions of Saudi Arabia. There are currently more than 300 CSGs registered with the SFA hailing from across the Kingdom.
Saudi Sports for All Federation signs with MoMRA.
The SFA has created and hosted many events since its inception. “We are grateful to have enjoyed a lot of success with our events and activities, such as Step Together and Move to Game. Step Together is now in its second phase; a series of walk-run challenges in partnership with Nike that will take place across four weeks,” said Mr. Alnuaiser, adding that many competitors were children and seniors, and that families entered the July Step Together competition. The inaugural program took place in July, with more than 2,600 people signing up to run or walk either half or full marathons. Participants covered a combined distance of more than 44,850km.
Move to Game was jointly launched by SFA and the Saudi Arabian Federation for Electronic and Intellectual Sports (SAFEIS). It merges gaming and physical fitness and has seen more than 150,000 participants aiming for 10 billion steps with the current tally at more than 8.6 billion!
The Saudi Sports for All Federation sponsored Team Riyadh, Saudi representatives at the UAE Government Games.
The SFA has also staged a Women’s Fitness Festival, a corporate challenge, and a Summer Camp – all online – as well as the Baytak Nadeek campaign (Arabic for Your Home, Your Gym), which reached millions of people across the country during the pandemic lockdown.
“A concerted effort really works, helping people countrywide adopt healthy lifestyles, and providing the foundations for a fit and well Saudi Arabia for years to come.”
Along with these activities, SFA has more plans in the coming months especially with the recent agreement with MoMRA to activate parks and public spaces in Riyadh, Al-Khobar, and Abha. The signing of the MoU represents the first step in delivering the SFA’s Active Places mandate – one of three initiatives SFA is responsible for as part of the Quality of Life program; the other two being Active People and Initiatives for Residents of Saudi Arabia.
“We will also seek to grow our partnerships, the most recent of which is with PepsiCo, who will join SFA in boosting participation in sports across the nation. As we’ve seen with the likes of Nike, numerous sports federations, and inspiring individuals across the Kingdom, a concerted effort really works, helping people countrywide adopt healthy lifestyles, and providing the foundations for a fit and well Saudi Arabia for years to come,” concluded Mr. Alnuaiser.
Saudi Sports for All Federation
Website: sportsforall.com.sa
Social Media:
Instagram/Twitter: @Saudi_SFA
Facebook/Youtube: @SaudiSFA
LinkedIn: Saudi Sports for All Federation
