It has been a historic period in Saudi Arabian history when it comes to sports, and further softening of the stance within the country was evident when the Saudi Women’s Premier League officially got underway for the 2022-23 season. It was the first edition of the tournament as the Premier League, replacing the SAFF Women’s National Football Championship, which was formerly the Women’s Community Football League.
It was a mesmeric first season of action and one that caught the imagination of sports lovers across the Arab world. The competition was among the most popular to wager on with the best Arabic sports betting site, and that only promises to be a trend that will continue for the coming seasons.
Al-Nassr Crowned Champions
It has already been an extremely busy year for Al-Nassr, as they made international headlines following the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo in early January. However, all the headlines over the past couple of weeks have been dominated by the success that the women’s team has achieved on the field of play.
It was a thrilling final day of the season, as Al-Nassr held just a single-point advantage in the race for the title. Both they and their closest rivals Al-Hilal kicked off at the same time, which meant it was likely that neither set of players knew what was happening with their rivals for the title.
However, Al-Hilal was held to a thrilling final day 4-4 draw, meaning that a victory would have secured the title on the final day of the season. Al-Nassr wasn’t about to let their opportunity pass them by, as they made no mistake against Al-Yamamah on the 14th matchday of the inaugural season of action in the Saudi Women’s Premier League.
Table Topping Al-Nassr
Following a thrilling final round of matches in the league, it was Al-Nassr left celebrating on the pitch, as they won the top flight by a narrow three-point margin. It was a deserving end to the season for the team, as they picked up eleven wins from 14 matches throughout the season. Their only defeat was suffered on the road against Al Hilal, which meant that there was little to separate the sides coming into the final weekend.
However, as the old saying goes, defense wins you championships, and that was evident in the fact that Al Nassr ended the season with the fewest goals conceded. They were also prolific at the opposite end of the field, having smashed 67 goals in the 14 games that they played.
Al Hilal was forced to settle for second after falling to two defeats throughout the season, while there was a break of six points to Al Shabab, who eventually finished in third place in the standings. There was heartbreak at the opposite end of the standings, as Sama was relegated to the Saudi Women’s First Division, having failed to pick up a single point in 14 games. To make matter worse, they scored just once in the league all season and conceded a staggering 173 goals.
Individual Awards
There were a number of stars born in the inaugural edition of the league, including Shokhan Saihi. The striker from Egypt scored a staggering 43 goals in the league, which managed to ensure that she picked up the golden boot. Ibtissam Jraidi also enjoyed an excellent campaign with Al Ahli, as she scored a very respectable tally of 17 goals. The only other stars to net at least ten goals in the league were Hessa Allsa, Noha Tarek, Dalia Abu-Laban, and Maysa Jbarah.
In total, 15 players score hat-tricks in the inaugural edition of the league, with Shokhan Salihi leading the way by netting a stunning five trebles. Hessa Allsa, Zainab Al-Lami, and Seba Tawfiq also netted hat-tricks in multiple games throughout the season.
Only four goalkeepers registered multiple clean sheets in the league this term. Sarah Khaled Al Dossary led the way with five shut-outs, while Laila Ali Al-Qahtani, Hessa Al Sudairi, and Ruth Aturo all kept two clean sheets each throughout the course of the season.
A Bright Future Ahead
It was a thrilling first season of the Saudi Women’s Premier League, with a stunning 351 goals scored across the 56 matches played. On average, a total of 6.27 goals were scored throughout the season, and fans will be hoping that the excitement continues into the 2023-24 season. Like last term, the action will get underway in the middle of October, and Al Nassr will be bidding to retain the title that they won in dramatic style in 2022-23.