AlUla beat Al-Taraji to be crowned champions of SAFF Women’s First Division League

JEDDAH: AlUla were crowned champions of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation Women’s First Division League after beating Al-Taraji 4-2 on penalties on Wednesday evening.
The two clubs faced off at Jeddah’s King Abdullah Sports City Reserve Stadium and were level at 1-1 after extra-time before AlUla triumphed on penalties to clinch the 2023/2024 title.
The two rivals had already secured promotion to the SAFF Women’s Premier League for next season.
SAFF’s Vice President Lamia Bahaian presented the championship trophy to the winners in the presence of Aalia Al-Rasheed, head of the Women’s Football Department at the organization.
Al-Amal will join AlUla and Al-Taraji in next season’s Premier League after securing the third and final promotion spot after defeating Al-Taqadum 3-1 in Wednesday’s third-place play-off.
This season’s second edition of the SAFF Women’s First Division League boasted 26 clubs in a group stage format with four groups of five teams and one group of six.
After facing each other home and away across five cities, 12 qualifiers progressed to the final rounds — again using a group stage format with four groups of three teams.
The winners from each progressed to the semifinals, where AlUla beat Al-Amal 3-0 and Al-Taraji overcame Al-Taqadum 1-0.
Some 122 matches were played over the First Division League season, underlining the positive direction of travel for professional women’s football in Saudi Arabia.
The SAFF Women’s First Division League is one of several competitions playing a crucial role in the growth of the women’s game in the Kingdom.