If you are a Saudi woman interested in a certain sport, how do you go about getting involved and playing out your dream? Many doubtless contact that sport’s federation via social networks or email. But with the explosion in the number of sports women can play in the Kingdom, now is the time for every sporting federation to work out how they can make it as simple as possible for females across the country to get active. From having 30 federations, the General Sports Authority now has 64, increasing the number of options open to those looking to stay fit and healthy and represent the country. So far, no problems — no one can have an argument over getting more people, and more women, involved in sport. The difficulty arises, however, when taking into account the fact that women’s sport in the Kingdom is in its infancy. There are very few experienced Saudi females in sports management positions and fewer still women coaches and referees. How do you attract women to sport? How do you know how many women are interested in your sport? How do you how many professional athletes you can nurture and in which cities? Do you apply the same plan that was applied for men when the federation was first created? These are the key questions all the bodies need to work out the answers to if they are to grab this opportunity of increased participation and better playing standards. There are very few experienced Saudi females in sports management positions and fewer still women coaches and referees - the approaches the federations have taken so far have been varied and illuminating. Dr. Razan Baker The approaches the federations have taken so far have been varied and illuminating. The swimming federation, for example, began by offering safety and rescue workshops to support women with a strong background based on international standards. The archery federation chose to train referees and athletes. The motorsports body, which already had a fair few athletes, increased its support for members to compete in more races. The fencing federation targeted children and introduced the sport in schools, and introduced more competitions. As for the bowling federation we received many messages from women interested in the game after supervising a team in the Eastern Province last February. That became a model for how we are going to encourage more women to join. We found that creating a championship would allow us to see how many females would be attracted, and work out their level. It was a success. Many women have become interested and continued to train. The competitive aspect has been a galvanizing force — many women want to prove they are good enough to represent their city just like the women who played for the Eastern Province team. In October through running three championships for women we went from zero to almost 500 women bowlers. These are just a few examples and federations need to reconsider other challenges along the way, such as outfits, facilities, and the expenses women need to pay to enrol. And if we consider that the private sector offers some of these sports on their premises, we can note that fitness clubs prices ranges from SR 1,500-5,000 per month which does not make them a viable alternative for many. Despite all this, it is still too soon to say which approach is the best or which one will be most effective. We need to invest in academic research and compare over the long-term between the federations based on culture, approach, resources and many other factors. Only then we can decide and implement it across the board to ensure equal opportunities for all women in every sport. Dr. Razan Baker is a member of the board of directors at the Saudi Bowling Federation, a specialist in corporate social responsibility in sports, and a sports columnist/journalist. Twitter: @RazanBaker Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect Arab News" point-of-view