On Friday, the “Green Women” will play a friendly match against Malaysia at the “Aspire Academy” stadium, as part of its preparatory camp in the Qatari capital, Doha, which will continue until next Wednesday.
The camp includes another friendly match with Malaysia next Tuesday, with the aim of raising technical and physical readiness, and giving the players the opportunity to participate in international confrontations that contribute to developing performance and enhancing harmony within the team.
The national team’s technical staff summoned 24 players to participate in the camp: Sarah Khaled, Mona Abdel Rahman, Randa Al Abdel Qader, Lynn Muhammad, Shorouk Al Hawsawi, Hala Khashoggi, Sarah Al Hamad, Asrar Al Shaibani, Talah Al Ghamdi, Farida Hanafi, Majd Al Otaibi, Shaden Muhammad, Modi Abdel Mohsen, Lana Abdel Razzaq, Fatima Mansour, Saba Tawfiq, and Basma Nawaf. Maryam Al-Tamimi, Al-Bandari Mubarak, Lamar Muhammad, Fadwa Khaled, Maram Al-Yahya, Safaa Issa, and Mubaraka Muhammad.
Australian Arthur Pappas, Al-Ettifaq coach, said that they benefited from the last pause to enhance harmony between the players, especially since there were names who were late in joining the team and needed sufficient time to achieve this harmony.
Pappas added, in the press conference before facing Al-Khaleej, on Saturday, in the eighth round of the Saudi League, that the match will not be easy, but the team will get enough time to prepare optimally for it and for the rest of the successive matches that it will play, whether in the Saudi League or the Gulf Champions League.
In response to Asharq Al-Awsat’s question about how to deal with the pressure of upcoming duels, Athar said: “We took that into consideration. We will play approximately 9 matches in one month, and our preparations were on this basis, such that training will be intense every 3 days to simulate the pressure that we will go through, through the matches that we will play at the local and Gulf levels.”
Prince Nawaf bin Saad, President of Al Hilal Club, confirmed that crowning the Saudi national team with the Gulf Cup title represents an important step towards returning to the podium, indicating that Saudi talents are capable of achieving more achievements.
Prince Nawaf bin Saad said, in an interview with the media: “We are very happy about achieving this dear championship, even if it was a championship that the Saudi team had previously achieved, but the team’s return to victories and achieving championships breaks a major barrier among the fans who had concerns about the green.”
He added: “Apart from the tournament itself, the spirit in which the team showed, and the excellent technical level presented by the players, led by the technical and administrative staff, brought us happiness again, and we hope that this will be a good beginning.”
He continued: “There is great support from the leadership for Saudi sports, and I believe that this achievement was the culmination of that support, and we, the fans of the team, aspire to more victories, and for the Saudi team to return to the position it deserves, as it is the leader of Asia, and we hope that it will add more to its tally of championships.”
He added: “I believe that all Saudi talents and players are capable of raising the heads of the Saudi public and making them happy with more victories.”
In terms of signing a sponsorship contract with Peak Company to be the operating partner for Al Hilal Club activities, Prince Nawaf bin Saad confirmed that the Board of Directors is constantly working to increase the club’s income through partnerships and commercial sponsorships.
He added: “We will continue to work to increase the club’s revenues through sponsorships, and the Board of Directors is authorized by the owner company to continue working according to the same approach.”
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of Al Hilal Club Company praised the efforts made by the club’s CEO and the work team, especially in the marketing and sponsorship sector, saying: “I take advantage of this opportunity to thank the CEO and the work team at Al Hilal Club, specifically the marketing and sponsorship team, which is doing a great job, and I believe that the presence of a team at this level represents a gain for any party, especially since among them are young Saudis who provide honorable work.”
He continued: “The CEO of Al Hilal Club Company is doing a tremendous job in this aspect. Al Hilal’s name and brand are very attractive to sponsors, and there is intense competition between companies to obtain club sponsorship.”
Prince Nawaf bin Saad revealed the extent of the demand for partnership with Al Hilal, explaining: “As Chairman of the Board of Directors, I know exactly the extent of the competition between companies to obtain sponsorship contracts for Al Hilal. Sometimes two or three companies compete, and the number may reach ten companies from the same field, all of which seek to win a sponsorship contract with the club.”
He added: “In the end, we choose the best offer, as the name of the company matters to us, and the financial value of the sponsorship is also important, and even if the offers are equal, we choose the best in terms of the name of the company and the size of its business in the Kingdom.”
