Sari Rose, who is the assistant technical director of coaching at the North Carolina Youth Soccer Association, is one of only three female state directors.
Rose conducted workshops with Saudi students of both genders, some of whom are already playing soccer with local clubs, such as the Jeddah United Club.
Rose highlighted the need to stress on sport, not only for winning competitions but also to encourage healthy practices through the introduction of physical activities. Currently, Saudi public schools for girls are prohibited from conducting physical education classes or holding athletic events. The Jeddah United Club, founded by Lina Almaeena, has a women’s basketball team which has been allowed to host low-key events in spite of vocal opposition by some Saudi conservatives.
Rose’s visit — which included Manama, Dhahran and Jerusalem — hopes to increase awareness on the importance of physical activities for both children and women. Saudi Arabia has an alarmingly high rate of diabetes, a disease caused by a combination of poor diet and lack of physical activity. This point has been used to argue for the importance of promoting physical education among Saudi public school girls. Rose highlighted this point that physical activities play an important role in encouraging a healthy lifestyle and reducing health-care costs.
“It also helps link the community through making children play while their parents’ support,” said Rose. “It is for the positive spirit, health and community building.”
She also said that sports should be introduced to all children at an early age to help make it “a habit and a culture.”
Rose said she wanted to be a lawyer but later decided she would move to a field of her interest.
“I wanted to have an impact on kids and change their lives to make them feel better,” she said.
The American coach said her visit to Saudi Arabia and her interaction with Saudi girls and women dispelled some of her assumptions: “What I saw was opposite to what I expected!”
