Saudi Arabia Debuts Female-Only Car Showroom, Sells Family Football Tickets
In September 2017, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud made a historic decision allowing women to drive starting from June 2018, and a month later the authorities announced that the main stadiums in major cities would be refurbished in order to receive families in 2018.
A Saudi campaign opened the first car showroom for women only in a shopping mall in the western city of Jeddah, offering females the right to choose their own car. The grand opening is taking place five months before King Salman’s decision allowing women to get behind the wheel comes into force.The showroom bursts with vehicles, offering women a wide choice.
And that is not the only “innovation” in the country. Saudi Arabia has started selling family tickets for football games, with the first one held on Friday at the King Abdullah Sports City stadium in Jeddah. The second game will be held on Saturday at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, according to SPA. Friday’s match will be the first football game for Saudi women. After refurbishing stadiums special maps were released, showing the entrances to the family areas. Currently, there are 7,500 family seats available at King Fahd and 14,000 at King Abdullah.
Dramatic changes were brought into the lives of Saudi women when the Crown Prince, Mohammad bin Salman, announced a series of reforms related to socio-economic and cultural spheres. Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has already lifted the ban on women driving cars, signing a royal decree, which is expected to come into effect in June 2018 and has allowed them to attend sporting events at stadiums. In December, Riyadh hosted its first-ever all-female concert, thus opening up the world of entertainment to women. Later the same month, Belgium appointed the first female ambassador to Riyadh.
READ MORE: Football, Finally: Saudi Women to Be Allowed Into Stadiums for First Time Friday
