عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Sports

Saudi Sports Market Targets SAR84 Bn by 2030

The UK-Saudi Sports Investment & Innovation Forum was held in London on Wednesday (SPA)
The UK-Saudi Sports Investment & Innovation Forum was held in London on Wednesday (SPA)
TT
20
TT

Saudi Sports Market Targets SAR84 Bn by 2030

The UK-Saudi Sports Investment & Innovation Forum was held in London on Wednesday (SPA)
The UK-Saudi Sports Investment & Innovation Forum was held in London on Wednesday (SPA)

London has hosted the UK-Saudi Sports Investment & Innovation Forum, bringing together officials from both countries’ sports and investment ministries, along with 100 top industry leaders.

Organized by the Saudi Chambers of Commerce in collaboration with the Saudi British Business Council, the event coincided with the Saudi-British Sustainable Infrastructure Summit.

It showcased Saudi Arabia’s dynamic sports sector advancements driven by Vision 2030 initiatives, establishing it as a global destination for athletes, tournaments, and investments.

Turki Al-Fawzan, CEO of the Saudi Arabian Esports Federation, highlighted that 67% of Saudis have a keen interest in gaming and esports.

Basem Ibrahim, Director of Sports Sector Investment Development at the Ministry of Investment, projected the Kingdom’s sports market to grow from SAR30 billion to SAR84 billion by 2030.

Mohammed Al-Nemer, Deputy Chair of the Saudi British Joint Business Council, noted a 12% annual growth in Saudi Arabia’s sports and entertainment sector between 2018 and 2023, reflecting rising demand for recreational activities.

Participants at the forum explored investment opportunities, technological advancements in sports and esports, sports infrastructure development, and potential partnerships between Saudi Arabia and the UK.

Topics included hosting major sports events, international acquisitions, and enhancing quality of life through sports initiatives.

Most Viewed

 
Sports

By the Numbers: How This Might Be the Weakest Bottom Three in Premier League History 

Football - Premier League - Tottenham Hotspur v Southampton - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain - April 6, 2025 Southampton manager Ivan Juric looks on after the match. (Action Images via Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Tottenham Hotspur v Southampton - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain - April 6, 2025 Southampton manager Ivan Juric looks on after the match. (Action Images via Reuters)
TT
20
TT

By the Numbers: How This Might Be the Weakest Bottom Three in Premier League History 

Football - Premier League - Tottenham Hotspur v Southampton - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain - April 6, 2025 Southampton manager Ivan Juric looks on after the match. (Action Images via Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Tottenham Hotspur v Southampton - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain - April 6, 2025 Southampton manager Ivan Juric looks on after the match. (Action Images via Reuters)

It seems like it’s never been harder for promoted teams to stay in the Premier League.

It looks fairly certain that the three promoted teams will be relegated to the Championship after just one season for the second straight year. That's never previously happened in the Premier League era (since 1992).

Last season, it was Sheffield United, Burnley and Luton.

This season, Southampton’s relegation has already been confirmed — in record fashion — while Leicester and Ipswich are so far adrift of safety that they have little chance of surviving. Ipswich, in third-to-last place, is 12 points behind fourth-to-last Wolverhampton with seven games remaining.

The combined points tally of Southampton (10), Leicester (17) and Ipswich (20) would barely get them into mid-table, backing up a growing argument that this might be the weakest crop of promoted teams the Premier League has ever seen.

Here’s a by-the-numbers look at how bad their seasons have been:

Southampton

3 Southampton is already on its third manager of the season, after Ivan Juric was fired on Monday and replaced by Simon Rusk on an interim basis. It started the season with Russell Martin in charge but he was replaced by Juric in December.

7 The Saints were relegated with seven games remaining, and that’s a record. No team has ever been confirmed to go down with seven or more games to play, according to stats supplier Opta.

10 The number of points Southampton has. The race is on to beat the lowest points tally ever by a team in the Premier League era: Derby County’s 11 from the 2007-08 season.

25 The number of losses by Southampton, in 31 games played.

Leicester

8 Leicester’s 3-0 defeat to Newcastle on Monday meant the team has lost eight straight home games in the league without scoring. That’s never happened before in the top four divisions of English soccer.

11 Leicester has lost 11 homes games in a single league campaign for the first time.

72 It is now 72 days since Leicester scored — home or away — in the Premier League. The last player to hit the back of the net was Bilal El Khannouss against Tottenham on Jan. 26.

Ipswich

6 Ipswich has been beaten in each of its last six homes game, the team's longest losing run at home since 1963. The latest was against Wolves, 2-1, on Saturday.

11 The number of home losses for Ipswich this season, from 16 games.

140 Ipswich spent about 109 million pounds ($140 million) to bring in 10 players in the summer transfer window. Only Brighton spent more in the Premier League.