Thrilling matches herald end of Saudi’s annual Ramadan flag football tournament

JEDDAH: The second annual Ramadan Flag Football tournament ended on a high note at Jeddah United Fields on Friday, following two action-packed days of elite competition and community spirit.

The Kingdom’s largest flag football event welcomed 63 players and eight teams, including Jeddah Al-Baharah, Riyadh Titans, Jeddah Tigers, Jeddah Hunters, Riyadh Cheetahs and JFC from Riyadh and Jeddah, who demonstrated their skills, teamwork and sportsmanship.

The event drew a large crowd of American football enthusiasts, who enjoyed the thrilling on-field action.

In the men’s final, Jeddah Al-Baharah claimed the title in the men’s event, beating JFC 20-06 in the final. Their performance showed off their offensive abilities and solid defense with the help of quarterback Ali Tewfik and wide receivers Tyron Jones and Tawfig Asaad.

Meanwhile, in the women’s group, Teamup Sandstorm took on Teamup Phoenix Blaze in the final game, securing a 06-02 victory after a great performance by wide receiver Esin Bayir.

Ali Tewfik, head of the Saudi Flag football community, told Arab News after the tournament that it had highlighted the enormous talent and passion for the game that exists across the Kingdom.

“What excites me most is seeing the flag football community in Saudi Arabia grow every year,” he said. “We now have men’s and women’s teams, players from different backgrounds, and a shared passion for the game. Everything we have achieved so far from building the local community to participating in regional and international tournaments.”

He added: “It has been driven entirely by passionate Saudis who share a common goal of growing this sport. Our dream is to see flag football officially recognized in the Kingdom, continue developing Saudi talent, and ultimately watch a Saudi national team compete on the Olympic stage.”

Tewfik said this year’s edition had witnessed the first all-women flag matches in the Kingdom: “We are all thrilled to share that those women are participating in the first-ever women’s Flag Football. Seeing them enjoying the game was such a proud moment for all of us.”

The tournament’s outstanding performers were:

Tournament winners: Al-Baharah — Jeddah

Tournament MVP: Tawfig Asaad

Passing Touchdowns Leader: Ali Tewfik

Receiving Touchdowns Leader: Tyrone Jones

Interceptions Leader: Majd Zaini

Tewfik said the first American football team in Saudi Arabia was the Jeddah Jaws, established in Jeddah in 2012. It marked the beginning of the sport’s grassroots development in the Kingdom and helped lay the foundation for today’s growing flag football community.

“Currently, there are around 10 teams across Saudi Arabia. Six of them are based in Jeddah — four men’s teams and two women’s teams, while four teams are based in Riyadh. At the moment, American football is not yet officially recognized as a sport in Saudi Arabia. However, we have been in discussions with the Ministry of Sport and the Saudi Olympic Committee with the goal of establishing an official Saudi Flag Football Federation.

“At present, around 150 to 200 people are actively involved in the flag football community in Saudi Arabia, with approximately 90 percent of participants being Saudi nationals. Our long-term goal is to see flag football officially recognized as a sport in Saudi Arabia under its own national federation. This would open the door for structured growth, youth development and international participation. Ultimately, we hope to represent Saudi Arabia in global competitions, including the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.”

SHANGHAI: Fernando Alonso said Thursday he expects another difficult weekend wrestling with his new Aston Martin at the Chinese Grand Prix after failing to finish the season-opener in Australia.
Silverstone-based Aston Martin endured a horror start after serious issues with their Honda power unit and a lack of spare parts.
Two-time world champion Alonso and teammate Lance Stroll had to endure extreme vibration in the chassis caused by the power unit, which was feared could cause the drivers permanent nerve damage.
“The situation unfortunately didn’t change within four or five days since Melbourne, so it will be a difficult weekend,” Alonso told reporters at the Shanghai International Circuit.
“We’ll limit the laps in one or two sessions as we are short on parts. We need laps, to find the window on the chassis side.
“I’ll be happy if we leave China with a more or less normal practice, more or less normal qualifying.”
The Spaniard could not put a timeframe on when improvements might come.
“What can I do within the team? Work harder, help Honda as much as I can,” said Alonso.
“We can allocate resources to help Honda with the power unit. We are one team, it is a bumpy start that I hope won’t last too long.
“We are pushing, we have very talented people in the team, so I hope within a couple of grands prix, we can have a normal weekend.
“To be competitive will take more time. Once we fix the reliability, we will be behind on power and things.”
The 44-year-old veteran has been in Formula One for more than two decades and has driven vastly different iterations of cars from the old V10 petrol engines through to the current complex hybrid configuration.
Despite the issues he said was embracing the challenge of the new cars enthusiastically in what could be his final season on the grid.
His Aston Martin contract expires at the end of 2026.
“Do we enjoy driving these cars? Yes, because we love racing,” Alonso said.
“I do four or five 24-hour races because I love racing and I love driving. So if you jump into an F1 car, you enjoy going fast.
“But it is a challenge, a different challenge.
“I was super lucky to race in (the last) era and I feel lucky to race in both.”

Thrilling matches herald end of Saudi’s annual Ramadan flag football tournament