SFA, NUFC Foundation join hands to help sports in Saudi Arabia’s 35-50 age group
RIYADH: The Saudi Sports for All Federation and Premier League club Newcastle United have teamed up to launch a sports program for 35-50-year-olds in Saudi Arabia, it was announced on Wednesday.
The SFA and the Newcastle United Foundation, an independent charity run by the club, will work together to provide world-class, age-appropriate sporting facilities, resources and experiences to the Kingdom’s older population, both citizens and residents. Play.
The partnership comes under the leadership of the Ministry of Sport and aims to attract specialized international events within the framework of community sport, said a statement from the SFA.
Set to be implemented in three phases, Phase I and II of the program have been completed and installed successfully. The first phase focused on training 10 Saudi master trainers in Newcastle, and the second phase is being focused on and aims to train 225 executive coaches in the Kingdom.
The third phase is set to focus on attracting 3,000 registrants, who will then be empowered and equipped with the tools to lead healthy, active lives.
SFA President Prince Khalid bin Alwaleed bin Talal said, “Saudi Arabia is constantly striving towards becoming a global economic center and strengthening its thriving society.” “Our goal is to serve the country, setting it up for long-term success, SFA aims to play a key role in Saudi’s goals in the sports and welfare sector, enhancing its athletics culture and infrastructure.
“We believe it is vital to the development of a healthy, productive and diverse community of citizens and residents united by a proactive, sustainable approach.”
He continued: “As part of this work, it is of course important that every member of society – regardless of age, gender, ability or background – has equal access to quality and experience, resources and facilities to promote Access is provided. Our partnership with Newcastle United Foundation has been launched to help us meet this goal, ensuring that older adults across the country can also take part in sport and physical activity .
The Newcastle United Foundation hosted a training session from 10–14 October with ten coaches, male and female, who attended the sessions as part of the first phase of the SFA’s Integrated Sport programme.
Meanwhile, 225 local trainers and professionals involved in the second phase of training were enrolled in educational programs in three cities of the state.
The third phase will lead to the implementation of three major programs over the course of four months, distributed across three regions: Jeddah, Saihat and Al-Qasim.
A recreational football practice program – an initiative designed to inspire adults aged 35 -50 to continue playing football or take up the sport as a hobby – will also be implemented as part of the phase one.
A walking football program designed specifically for over-50s will also be implemented.
In line with the objectives of Vision 2030 and the Quality of Life programme, SFA’s strategic partnership with Newcastle United Foundation will help increase physical activity levels in the Kingdom, empowering more people to lead healthy, active lives.