JEDDAH: Women are increasingly seeking to exercise at hospital fitness centers, despite the high costs, because of the lack of sports facilities for them in the Kingdom. Noura, a Saudi female coach said, “We suffer from a lack of sports club in the districts which provide services for all age groups at nominal fees. Until recently, there were no sports clubs for women and if you did find one, it would be under fitness centers at hospitals. But the situation has changed over the last 10 years because sports clubs have started opening where women from all walks of life and ages can play their favorite sports like basketball, volleyball and football. Believe it or not there are now women football teams.” Noura said that while change has taken place, there was still a lack of facilities, especially for those who have a passion for basketball. They would have to play this game at a friend's house where there is a basketball court. Others jointly rent places where they can do exercise. They say this is happening at a time when men and women in the outside world enjoy the right to exercise and play all kinds of sports. Salma Al-Zahrani said she exercises to remain agile. She joined one of the few women's sport clubs in Jeddah where she discovered the joy of playing many different sports. Afaf Al-Qahtani said she is looking forward to the day when there will be public women's sport clubs where all classes can participate. She said many poor girls and women cannot join clubs outside of their districts because of the high cost of transportation and subscription fees. She said she was once invited to attend a lecture at her daughter's school and was stunned to see many overweight young girls. If there had been sports facilities in the schools or sports clubs for women, those girls would not have put on all that weight. Another woman Samira said she lives in a compound for navy officers but because there are no sports facilities she has to travel outside to get some exercise. She wondered why subscriptions to sports clubs are around SR500 in other countries while it is tenfold this amount in the Kingdom.
