The Saudi Arabian Professional League’s Transformation Strategy

The Saudi Arabian Professional League has announced its intention to launch the Saudi League’s transformation strategy, which aims to achieve long-term sustainable growth for the league, as well as increase its competitiveness and global presence to rank among the top 10 strongest leagues in the world. The strategy, which will be revealed later, includes various development programs that will contribute to the league’s growth and success.

Development of Administrative Work

The first direction of the strategy focuses on developing the administrative work of football in clubs. To achieve this, a specialized unit will be created in the League, aimed at improving the technical and technical skills of personnel in sports clubs. This unit will measure the degree of their development and their compliance with the standards of local and Asian club licenses. The unit will also leverage the best world experience in this area to ensure effective administration.

Attracting Elite Players

The second area of the strategy includes the implementation of the “Attracting Elite Players” program. The goal of this program is to increase the commercial value of the Saudi Professional League, enhance its level of competitiveness, and attract investors. Additionally, the program aims to raise the level of young Saudi players and create an outstanding generation in the football game. The league will establish contacts with the most outstanding international stars to achieve these objectives. The recruitment and transfer processes of players to the Saudi Professional League will be managed in accordance with a specific policy.

Regulating the Age of Saudi Players

The Saudi Pro League, in cooperation with the Saudi Football Association, will work on regulating the age of Saudi players participating in the league. The minimum age of players participating will be lowered from 18 years to 16 years in the next season (2023/2024). In the subsequent season (2025/2026), the number of players registered in the first team will be reduced from 35 to 25. However, there will be an increase in the number of players under 21 to compensate for this change. This aims to promote the development of young players in different clubs.

These development steps are carried out by the Saudi Arabian Professional League in cooperation with the Saudi Arabian Football Association. The ultimate goal is to elevate the professionalism and development of football in Saudi Arabia to achieve excellence for national teams and sports clubs at all levels, aligning with the goals of the Sports Sector under the Saudi Arabia Vision 2030.

The program team has conducted meetings with all clubs, involving their representatives such as chairmen of the boards of directors, executive directors, and sports directors. These meetings served to explain the work mechanism, the selection and negotiation process, as well as provide guidance on player transfers and their models.