JEDDAH, 1 April 2007 — It took a newspaper to raise awareness about the lack of public recreational space in the poorer parts of Jeddah. One person read that newspaper article and made the dream come true by donating funds to build such a place for low-income residents of a south Jeddah district.
As a result of an effort that brought together a basketball coach, a wealthy donor, a nongovernmental advocacy group and municipal officials, Prince Faisal ibn Abdullah ibn Muhammad and Jeddah Mayor Adel Fakieh inaugurated last night the multimillion-riyal Faisal’s Sports Park, built by the Zahid family in remembrance of their late son, Faisal Muhammad Zahid.
Fakieh later said: “The municipality has identified 400 such sites in various parts of Jeddah and he hoped that the people of Jeddah will cooperate in helping create more such parks.”
The story of how a public park in Jeddah was built began when Omar Abdulsalam, an American basketball trainer, broached the subject of building basketball courts in undeveloped land in a drive to give youngsters wholesome recreational venues.
A reader called the newspaper and offered to finance the construction of a basketball court. The question of where to build this park was resolved when Abdulsalam put the benefactor in contact with the Friends of Jeddah Parks (FJP), a local nongovernmental group that advocates for more public spaces in the Bride of the Red Sea. The relentless efforts of the FJP members and funding by the Zahid family made this dream a reality.
Finding the money, it turned out, was a minor challenge compared to planning and implementing the project. The men and women, especially the women, of the FJP worked over the past two years to make the appropriate arrangements. They conducted surveys and interviewed residents. FJP activists described the difficulties of working through red tape, always keeping their eyes on the prize. It was, they said, a tough task.
The group worked with the Jeddah Municipality to acquire some undeveloped land in Al-Qurayat district — home to a large immigrant population — to construct a recreational area complete with a football pitch, a basketball court, exercise equipment, a jogging path, public toilets, family picnic areas and security-guard facilities to help prevent vandalism.
“We have kept the original soccer field at the same location,” said FJP President Mohammed Fayez.
The financial backer ended up paying considerably more than his initial commitment. But with the added costs came not just a couple of basketball courts, but the city’s first major public recreational center, which has a main basketball court, four basketball training units and two soccer fields. FJP organizers hope this won’t be the only one.
Fayez said that the FJP has created a board consisting of local residents who would be in charge of organizing the park and creating a mechanism for operating and organizing the usage of the premises in an equitable fashion. He said: “The group also hopes to open seven full parks by the end of the year.”
Organizers expect some of the Kingdom’s famous footballers to host special physical training activities.
“We are glad that finally we can play basketball in a safe place,” said Mohammed Al-Ameri, a 19-year-old Al-Qurayat resident.
Ali Othman, a 35-year-old resident, was happy to see land that had been used as an illegal dumpsite converted into something more useful and scenic. He also said he was happy to know that local youngsters now have an outlet for more wholesome use of their energy.
“It’s a dream come true to have a place for kids and families to enjoy spending their time together in safety,” he said.
Fayez Ali, a 16-year-old resident, said that he and his friends have been playing on an improvised basketball court on a neighborhood street. “We used to be bothered by cars and other people who would come and bully us,” said Ali. “Now I hope things will change.”
