Newcastle Sponsor Sela Puts On Spectacular Light Show
To mark the first anniversary of Sela’s sponsorship of Newcastle United, on Saturday 8th June the Saudi Arabian live events and experiences company Sela put on a dazzling light show for thousands of fans.
Projected onto the landmark Baltic Flour Mill, located on the banks of the River Tyne, the show honoured the club’s most memorable moments and was the latest in a series of high-profile activations by Premier League club’s principal sponsor.
In April, as part of its ground-breaking ‘Unsilence The Crowd’ campaign, Sela embedded haptic technology into Newcastle shirts which enabled 20 members of the deaf community to experience the incredible atmosphere of St. James’ Park.
Wearing those same ‘Sela Soundshirts’, many of the same deaf fans and fans with hearing loss present during Newcastle’s emphatic 4-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on 13th April, when the technology was debuted, were able to feel Saturday’s light show, as the noise of the display was transformed into a real-time touch sensation.
“From delivering the unforgettable Champions League drone show to making the St. James’ Park matchday experience more inclusive for members of the Deaf community through launching haptic shirts – Sela has demonstrated that it is a more than simply a ‘sponsor’ on the front of our shirts.
“Within the first year of our partnership, Sela has become entrenched in the local community and continues to create spectacular, purposeful memories that will last the tests of time. Sela has put our supporters at the heart of all their activities and we are so proud to have them as part of our Newcastle United family. Last night we were all one together.”
Did you know?
Sela experiences – which include the Jeddah Superdome, Boulevard Riyadh City, Boulevard World, Via Riyadh and Jeddah Yacht Club and Marina – have welcomed more than 40 million visitors and counting.
Ibrahim Mohtaseb, Senior Vice President of Sela, added, “We wanted to round off our first year of sponsorship of Newcastle United with an unforgettable night for the city, using Sela’s capabilities as a creator of live events and experiences. We’ve worked hard to understand fan culture and the local community, and it was incredible to see so many thousands of people come down to the banks of the Tyne.
“We hope they enjoyed this special show that celebrated the city, the fans and their club. We wanted to use iconic city landmarks to really bring that to life. Newcastle is a one-club city with such a rich history and an exciting future ahead; last night we were all one together.
“We very much look forward to what the future holds for the club and our partnership. One thing we can be sure of is that as Sela we want to deliver more spectacular experiences for fans to enjoy.”
A history of sporting achievement
A leader in the conception, creation and delivery of spectacular experiences and destinations, Sela was founded in 1997 as Saudi Arabia’s first FIFA-recognised player representation company, in 2009 the Jeddah-headquartered company led the commercial and operational arm of the Saudi Premier League and has has gone on to work with many of the world’s major sports properties, including Formula E, WWE and the SuperCoppa.
And, in October 2023, the company lit up the sky above St. James’ Park with a football-themed drone show to mark Newcastle United’s return to the Champions League.
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