In the Gulf region’s burgeoning sports market, the Saudi Pro League (SPL) professional club-football competition stands as a benchmark for digital-audience engagement, among other domestic leagues. By way of example, according to our research, the SPL demonstrates a wider volume of web traffic via mobile compared to top-flight leagues in neighboring states. Given that the SPL works with a significant audience share in international markets, too, its clubs are certain to benefit from sport’s digital revolution and growing their brand’s appeal overseas.
Amid its record investment in international player signings – SPL clubs spent a record US$957 million in player signings during the 2023 transfer window and US$531 million during the 2024 window – the league’s professionalization is working to establish Saudi Arabian football on the global stage. Meanwhile, the SPL is also modernizing its digital and technological capabilities; from the operational tools adopted by professional clubs, to the direct-to-consumer (D2C) mediums they choose to integrate into their fan ecosystems.
This extends to the kingdom’s focus on stadia and infrastructure development, which will begin to take shape in preparations for the Saudi Arabia 2034 men’s FIFA World Cup. For projects of this scale to have a maximum impact on the sport’s commercial growth, and to leave a sustainable sporting ecosystem post-competition, digital transformation will play a pivotal role in the delivery and management of each project, while the digital legacy inherited by the fan will have a lasting impact on the growth of the domestic game.
Nevertheless, in light of the Ministry of Sport’s (MOS) bid to revolutionize stadia and infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, N3XT Sports research indicates that domestic football’s data and digital transformation is still in its infancy; albeit holds the potential in its hands to turn the Gulf’s fastest-growing league into a commercial powerhouse, built on technological know-how and global, digital fandom.
According to N3XT Sports research, while every SPL club (2024/25) collects fan data, only 55.5 percent do so via a dedicated website and/or mobile app. Although this is understandable for a club ecosystem still establishing itself on the global stage, there is already an appetite for mobile experiences among SPL fans. For example, according to SimilarWeb data, as much as 84.9 percent of the SPL’s website distribution is generated via mobile, demonstrating an opportunity for the league’s club-base to drive audience engagement and subscriber retention via their own omnichannel-mobile products.
This is highlighted closely in the upcoming edition of our Digital Transformation Regional Market Report series, which focuses on the Gulf region in 2025, and examines the opportunities for the sport industry’s digitalization.
In traditional markets across Europe and North America, elite sports clubs and leagues integrate D2C features such as mobile ticketing, ecommerce, concessions, video streaming, and fan-predictor games into their stadium experience. For example, 80 percent of Premier League clubs (2024/25) collect first-party fan data via a ticketless matchday experience, including 65 percent via the club’s dedicated mobile app.
By comparison, albeit the majority of SPL clubs collect first-party fan data via ecommerce (72.3 percent), as few as 33.3 percent of SPL clubs own a ticketing platform via web or mobile, while 27.8 percent collect ticketing data, according to N3XT Sports research. SPL clubs also have the potential to leverage these services into their mobile-focused digital-fan experiences, which would later benefit from additional features such as subscription video-streaming and gamification on matchdays.
Furthermore, amid the influx of international football talent to the Saudi market, by developing its clubs’ digital maturity and aptitude for fan-data management, as well as a guidepost for other sporting bodies, the SPL is well-placed to commercialize its media rights in new markets. This could help synchronize SPL fans’ global appetite for mobile content and increasing interest among international media and sponsors to engage audiences in the Arabian Peninsula, while continuing to grow their brand in the region.
WHAT’S N3XT?
N3XT Sports, headquartered in Valencia, Spain, established its regional office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in May 2024, after three years of supporting the growth of the sports industry in the MENA region. Operating closely with key stakeholders and regional partners, N3XT Sports is a full-service agency providing strategic consulting, data, and digital development and operations, as well as commercialization and internationalization within bespoke digital strategies.
Speaking on the professionalization of the Arabian sports market in our upcoming Gulf market report, Hisham Shehabi, N3XT Sports’ Chief Operating Officer (COO), who heads up our regional office, outlines the “significant role” the industry plays in the national economic diversification strategies across the Gulf states.
“These efforts stretch from the development and implementation of tailored digital strategies designed to maximize audience acquisition, to the retention and commercialization of digital fans, and the optimization of operational efficiencies across our clients’ multi-stakeholder ecosystems,” Hisham says. “Our research and work in the region highlights the opportunity to invest in the digital upskilling and training of the sports-sector workforce. Our team is ready and available to discuss your digital transformation needs.”
N3XT Sports works tirelessly to develop and implement data and digital transformation strategies across a multitude of sports properties at federation level, competition level, and club level. To find out more about how N3XT Sports can serve your organization, fill out the form below, and we’ll be in touch. Our goal is to drive the digitalization of the sports industry and our clients.