The Rise of the Saudi Pro League
Top leagues in the world have gone through their challenges and found ways to overcome them. The Saudi Pro League is one of the fastest-growing leagues, but it is currently dealing with several challenges. Some of them include sponsorships from big brands, low turnouts of fans, and big players finding it hard to blend into their teams quickly.
This article will explore the growth of the Saudi Pro League and how the league can dominate football.
How is the Saudi Pro League Rising Rapidly
Before 2023, the Saudi Pro League was not that popular in any part of the world. The league’s popularity came when Cristiano Ronaldo made a shocking move from Manchester United to Al Nassr Football Club. This move increased the club’s followership on Instagram from 860,000 followers to 19.8 million followers.
Following Ronaldo’s move, other world-class footballers like Benzema, Neymar, and Kante joined the Saudi Pro League. You can also check out different Saudi Pro League news on Waitakere United to get information about the latest transfers in the league.
In terms of revenue growth, the Saudi Pro League has seen a 650% increase in revenue in the first month of the 2023/24 season. The league’s goal is to push the revenue from US$120 million to US$480 million by 2030. In a bid to generate more revenue, the league has partnered with 38 different international broadcasting houses.
How the Saudi Pro League Aims to Dominate Football
Saudi Arabia has a vision to be among the top leagues in the world in 2030. But the road to achieving this is still long and a lot of effort is in place to ensure the goal is achieved. The Saudi Kingdom wants to focus on developing the game in Asia, its home continent, before spreading its wings to Europe.
It may be a bit too early to start comparing the Saudi Pro League with the big five leagues in Europe – The English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, German Bundesliga, Italian Serie A, and the French Ligue 1. The league is doing the groundwork to ensure that its league gets as much recognition as the top five European leagues.
What Attracts Players to the Saudi Pro League?
Ronaldo’s arrival in January was what first drew the attention of people to the Saudi Pro League. Subsequently, other big names started moving to different clubs in the league. What plays a major role in players moving to this league is the mouth-watering salaries the clubs in the league are offering them.
You might now ask yourself – how are these teams getting so much money to pay their players? Recently, several Saudi clubs were taken over by the nation’s sovereign Public Investment Fund (PIF). Hence why these clubs have access to so much money. In the last transfer window, the four PIF-owned teams spent nearly $900 million on signing some of the top international players in the world.
Why is the League Spending so Much on Signing Players?
The Saudi Pro League is currently not competing in big competitions like the UEFA Champions League, so it needs another way to boost its teams’ visibility. This is why it is investing in bringing top players that can give visibility to its league.
The Quality of the Saudi Pro League and its Players Compared to Europe’s Top Five Leagues
The Saudi Pro League was launched in 1976 with its first football professional league played in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It has made some changes lately in its publicity and strategy, which has worked very well.
But it is too early to start putting the Saudi Pro League side-by-side with any of the top five European leagues. In terms of market value, viewership, and revenue, the top leagues in Europe all have better numbers than other leagues in the world.
Top Performing Club in the Saudi Pro League
The Saudi Pro League clubs that have won the most league titles include the following:
- Al-Hilal – 18 Saudi Pro League titles
- Al-Ittihad – Nine Saudi Pro League titles
- Al-Nassr Football Club – Nine Saudi Pro League titles
- Al-Shabab Football Club – Six Saudi Pro League titles
- Al-Ahli SFC – Three Saudi Pro League titles
Al-Hilal is the biggest club in the Saudi Pro League because they have won 18 league club titles. They recently won the 2023/24 league cup with 96 points. Ronaldo’s side – Al Nassr followed Al-Hilal close second on the table with 82 points.
Top Players in the Saudi Pro League
The Saudi Pro League is becoming competitive and interesting because of the influx of some of the biggest footballers in the world. Some of the players who were outstanding in the 2023/24 Saudi Pro League season include the following:
- Neymar – Al Hilal
- Cristiano Ronaldo – Al Nassr
- Karim Benzema – Al-Ittihad
- Riyad Mahrez – Al Ahli
- Sadio Mane – Al Nassr
- N’Golo Kante – Al-Ittihad
- Ruben Neves – Al Hilal
The Challenges of the Saudi Pro League
There are several challenges the Saudi Pro League is dealing with, and they include the following:
Low Attendance of Fans
The fans in the Saudi Pro League rarely fill out the capacities of the stadiums available. A lot of people don’t come out to support their preferred teams. The average crowd you will find in the stadium during a match in the Saudi Pro League is 8,219, which is low compared to the average crowd in other European clubs.
Big Stars Not Delivering in Games
Another big problem is that some of the big stars that joined the clubs in the league are struggling to play games. For example, Neymar and Benzema are world-class players, but they have been struggling to play their best games for their clubs. Some people might attribute this to a strategy problem on the part of the team’s management, while others might think they need more time to adjust to the league.
Conclusion
The Saudi Pro League is growing rapidly, but it might be too early to start comparing it with the big five European leagues in the world. Currently, the league is getting more revenue and the number of fans watching games is also increasing. We can only hope the league gets more sponsorship deals and media attention in the future.
