Saudi Arabia launches women's football league Published duration 25 February Related Topics Killing of Jamal Khashoggi

image copyright EPA image caption Women were first able to watch a football match in Saudi Arabia in January 2018

Saudi Arabia is to launch a female football league, two years after women were first allowed into stadiums in the Gulf kingdom.

The league will play its matches in the capital, Riyadh, and two other cities.

The creation of the league is the latest of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's reforms in Saudi Arabia, which has long been seen as one of the world's strictest societies.

Campaigners say much more remains to be done for women's rights.

Officials say the aim of the latest move is to boost female participation in sport.

"The launch of the [league] bolsters women's participation in sports at the community level and will generate increased recognition for women's sports achievements," the government-run Saudi Sports for All Federation said.

media caption Women in Saudi Arabia have watched football in a stadium in the Kingdom for the first time.

Last year, a royal decree allowed Saudi women to travel abroad without a male guardian's permission and restaurant segregation was scrapped.