World
Saudi Pro League interim CEO reveals Kingdom’s transformative football strategy
Saudi Arabia has continuously made international headlines and shocked global sports fans over the past year as it began implementing a new strategy to transform its football scene.
From acquiring football legends Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema to announcing the Public Investment Fund’s acquisition of four major Saudi clubs, the Kingdom is quickly moving toward its goals of becoming the base of one of the world’s top 10 football leagues.
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In a media statement, Saudi Pro League Interim CEO Saad al-Lazeez revealed details of Saudi Arabia’s plan to increase clubs’ competitiveness, create long-term growth in the sports sector, and become a global player in the football world.
“The Saudi Pro League has an incredible opportunity to help fulfill the country’s football ambitions and inspire more of its population to get into sport. The Saudi Pro League (SPL) will take a central, elevated role in supporting and developing clubs,” the interim CEO said.
Support young Saudi talent
The first part of the SPL’s strategy is to enhance its commitment to youth development and support Saudi talent, al-Lazeez revealed.
“From next season, the SPL will become younger and more competitive, taking advantage of the groundwork the Saudi Arabian Football Federation has been putting in at the grassroots for many years,” he said.
More than 80 percent of Saudi Arabia’s population either play, attend, or follow football, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) previously reported.
Fans of Saudi Arabia waits on the stands ahead of the Qatar 2022 World Cup Group C football match between Poland and Saudi Arabia at the Education City Stadium in Al-Rayyan, west of Doha on November 26, 2022. (File photo: AFP)
Mass participation in sports by both men and women rose from 13 percent in 2015 to almost 50 percent in 2022, according to SPA.
“One of the things that we are also doing to emphasize and improve the quality and competitiveness of the league is to make the league younger,” he said.
“This has more to it than simply bringing world class players and talent there or spending big amounts of money on those players.”
According to the SPL’s newly outlined strategy, the age limit for clubs has been reduced from 18 years old to 16 years old. For the 2025-2026 season, 10 out of 35 squad members must be under 21 years old. Clubs will also be required to have several home-grown players from academies within the Kingdom.
Younger players 🤝 More youth in squads#SPLStrategy pic.twitter.com/hzMgeBGlyR
— Roshn Saudi League (@SPL_EN) July 18, 2023
The competitiveness will push young Saudis to prove themselves to join the clubs and “keep up with the likes of Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo,” al-Lazeez said.
Develop the PACE Program
The SPL also launched the Player Acquisition Center of Excellence (PACE) Program – led by the new Director of Football Michael Emenalo – to connect rising young Saudi talent with international footballers and role models.
Currently, the SPL has players from over 40 different countries and has seen attendance increase by nearly 150 percent in the last year alone.
Emenalo is the former director of football at Chelsea F.C. and AS Monaco F.C. and helped transform the clubs into what they are today.
"The Saudi Pro League offers an opportunity for the entire industry" ⚽️
First words from our new Director of Football, Michael Emenalo 🎙️#SPLStrategy pic.twitter.com/zoJv2SbSK3— Roshn Saudi League (@SPL_EN) July 18, 2023
Clubs will actively work with the director of football through a step-by-step process for foreign player acquisition that includes squad mapping, player care, budget allocations, negotiations, and transactions.
“Michael is the perfect man for the job. He has the ideal pedigree, the knowledge, the experience, the coaching qualifications, and contacts to drive value and success for the overall league through this ambitious project,” the interim CEO said.
The potential to drive international talent to Saudi Arabia is vast and a central function providing control and strong governance will ensure the Kingdom’s investments are smart and benefit everyone in the league moving forward, according to al-Lazeez.
Welcome ceremony for Karim Benzema after joining Al-Ittihad – Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Reuters)
The steps taken through PACE are part of a bigger plan and future strategy to improve the league, he said, adding that the program would make the SPL a world-class experience and product that engages globally and is competitive and sustainable in the long term as one of the best leagues in the world.
“This will be good for all football, good for all players, and good for all fans.”
Launch of a Club Development Framework
Al-Lazeez also announced the launch of a specialized unit that will help improve club operations and technical expertise by applying the highest standards of operations, increasing financial and operational efficiencies, assessing their progress on development, and ensuring global practices are applied.
“This strategy has been years in the making and has involved a lot of global footballing expertise to make the most of this unprecedented opportunity for growth,” he said.
“It goes far beyond and much deeper than the player transfers that are dominating headlines and focuses just as much on what happens off the pitch at the clubs. We are looking to the long-term and will be judged on that, especially with helping the clubs become commercially successful with robust business models. The Club Development Program will also activate the fair play financial system and monitor compliance with local and Asian licensing standards. We look forward to rolling out the full strategy in coming months.”
‘Tactics for Tomorrow’
The new SPL strategy builds upon the initiative launched by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation in 2021 under the slogan “Tactics for Tomorrow,” which has since witnessed mass investment in resources.
Since 2021, funding for Saudi youth football has increased by 162 percent and 23 regional training centers were established.
The number of registered male players has increased by 58 percent, while the number of coaches rose from 750 in 2018 to over 5,500 in 2023 – of which over 1000 are female coaches.
Saudi Arabia's players pose for a group picture ahead of the Qatar 2022 World Cup Group C football match between Argentina and Saudi Arabia at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, north of Doha on November 22, 2022. (File photo: AFP)
“At the last FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Saudi Arabia gave a glimpse of what we are capable of at international level and demonstrated the quality of our domestic league, the SPL. The future is bright. And a lot of good thinking has gone into advancing football in Saudi Arabia, [for both] men and women,” Saudi Arabian Football Federation President Yasser al-Misehal said.
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