SAFF Women's U-17 Tournament
| Founded | 2023 |
|---|---|
| Region | Saudi Arabia |
| Number of teams | 18 (2023–24) |
| Current champions | Al-Shabab (1st title) |
| Most successful club(s) | Al-Shabab (1 title) |
| Website | SAFF Women's U-17 Tournament |
 2023–24 SAFF Women's U-17 Tournament | |
The SAFF Women's U-17 Tournament is the main competition for girls under 17 and is held annually It was created and run by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation in 2023.[1]
Director of the Women's Football Department, Alia Al-Rasheed, said that this step represents a qualitative shift in women's football plans in the Kingdom, noting that the focus in the current period is on building a distinguished generation of young women and increasing the number of official matches for them, which contributes to raising the technical quality of female players.[2]
Format[edit]
Participation[edit]
The Saudi Arabian Football Federation allowed the participation of all clubs from the Saudi Women's Premier League and the Saudi Women's First Division League, and in the first edition, it required them to register a minimum of 14 players and a maximum of 40 players, and the ages of the players must be from 12 to 17.[3]
Seeding[edit]
The first edition of the tournament started from 17 November 2023 to 28 February 2024, It was divided into two parts: the first group stage at the regional level, then the final rounds, the first and second teams qualify for the final rounds, and the final matches will be held in a group system with a knockout of one match, starting from the quarter-finals.[4]
Match rules[edit]
All matches of the first edition were held using the (9 x 9) system, which means that both teams rely on 9 players on the field. The match will last 70 minutes.[5]
Winners[edit]
| Club | Winners | Runners-up | Years won | Years runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Shabab | 1 | 0 | 2023–24 | |
| Al Hilal | 0 | 1 | 2023–24 |
Individual awards[edit]
| Season | Best Player | Top scorers | Best Goalkeeper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–24[6] | Luluh Al-Jaweni (Al-Shabab) | Basma Al-Shenaifi (Al Nassr) | Fajr Al-Saqqaf (Al Hilal) |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "The U-17 Women's SAFF Championship will be launched". saff.com.sa. 23 October 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ "دوري عالية الرشيد: السعودية تركز على تنمية الناشئات" [Alia Al-Rasheed: Saudi Arabia focuses on developing young women.]. kooora.com (in Arabic). Riyan Al-Jidani. 24 October 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ "السعودية تعلن تفاصيل بطولة الناشئات" [Saudi Arabia announces the details of the Junior Women's Championship.]. kooora.com (in Arabic). Riyan Al-Jidani. 24 October 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ "السعودية تعلن تفاصيل بطولة الناشئات" [Saudi Arabia announces the details of the Junior Women's Championship.]. kooora.com (in Arabic). Riyan Al-Jidani. 24 October 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ "السعودية تعلن تفاصيل بطولة الناشئات" [Saudi Arabia announces the details of the Junior Women's Championship.]. kooora.com (in Arabic). Riyan Al-Jidani. 24 October 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ "الشباب يحصد بطولة الاتحاد السعودي للناشئات" [Al-Shabab wins the Saudi Federation for girls Tournament.]. kooora.com (in Arabic). Riyan Al-Jidani. 29 February 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2024.