Adwa Al-Arifi was nominated as a member of the Saudi Olympics Council by the Saudi Olympic Committee. She made history last year when she became the first Saudi woman committee member in the Saudi Football Federation, as part of a seven-member corporate social responsibility committee.
With over 10 years experience in the Kingdom’s sports arena, Al-Arifi has also been an active member of the Saudi women’s football scene.
In 2007, she founded Al-Yamamah women’s football club, the first in Riyadh, where she managed the club and organized tournaments as well as assisting coaches.
In 2008, she founded and was a member of the Riyadh female football committee which focused on developing and implementing league rules and regulations, management, planning as well as arranging training and referee workshops.
A graduate of Al-Yamamah University with an honors degree in business administration, Al-Arifi is considered a female grassroots specialist and her appointment looks likely to encourage further advances for women in the Kingdom.
The federation is the football governing body of Saudi Arabia. Founded in 1956, its responsibilities include administration of club competitions and national teams.
