Opinion: Changing Face Of Sport In Saudi Arabia

Charlie Beauchamp, former managing director of Lighthouse and then co-founder of Threshold Sports talks about the changing face of sport in Saudi Arabia, a country he has been regularly visiting with his agency Pulse Sport…

Pulse Sport has been working in Saudi since 2008 and the changes seen in Saudi society over those nine years have been numerous and significant. There is much in the world’s media at present reporting how the new King is spearheading change across so many walks of life in Saudi – these changes include everything from women being able to drive, to the country opening up to large international events and artists performing in the Kingdom.

Sport and football in particular has been at the centre of this change – indeed sport has been able to help enable much of it to happen. International sport has provided a very visible platform back home in Saudi showcasing the change.

A good example of this has been the staging of the Saudi Super Cup – equivalent to the Community Shield here in the UK – in London in 2015 and 2016 (pictured below), at QPR and Fulham respectively. These games secured high TV audiences back home in Saudi and with women able to attend. Women were previously not able to attend club matches in Saudi Arabia, however these games became a domestic and international example of how change was happening.

With the ease on restrictions confirmed last month, to begin with, women will be able to attend matches in special sections of stands at three selected stadiums in Saudi. The General Sports Authority announced that stadiums in Jeddah, Dammam and Riyadh will be set up to accommodate families from early 2018. Changes to the previously men-only stadiums will also include new restaurants, cafes and monitor screens to accommodate and welcome the new family spectators.

Saudi women participated in celebrations of the Kingdom’s founding in Riyadh’s stadium for the first time ever earlier this year. 

Sport has a key role to play as the Crown Prince leads a major drive to diversify the economy away from oil as part of the 2030 Vision, which will also help modernise the society.

The future looks bright as well, as the nation continues to implement change from the top down, participation levels in sport are increasing both amongst men and women, boys and girls – and as this is aligned with the health and exercise agenda more change will certainly come.

Charlie Beauchamp, Pulse Sport