Saudi Pro League 2023/24 Announces New Strategy to Nurture Young Talent
• New Saudi Pro League (SPL) strategy adjusts and expands upon the youth improvement program of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) with new guidelines to be executed during the 2023-2024 season and seasons ahead
• SPL choose Michael Emenalo as Head of Football to lead the new Player Obtaining Focus of Greatness (Speed) to give a unified way to deal with moves and help with crew planning and player care
• Innovative new model gives clubs the most ideal ability and administration to drive manageability
The Saudi Ace Association (SPL) today declared another procedure in arrangement with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) to drive seriousness on and off the pitch with an accentuation on cultivating youthful Saudi ability close by getting the best worldwide ability and working on the administration of all clubs for long haul achievement.
Pro League Football: New Guidelines
Among various new guidelines and drives to be uncovered in front of the new season, the Pro League Football of Saudi Arabia (SPL) will build the playing season of youthful Saudi players in the association by diminishing the period of qualification from 18 years of age to 16 years of age, with quick impact for the 2023-2024 season. A further step zeroed in on youth improvement will see the decrease in crew sizes from the ebb and flow number of 35 players generally speaking, to 25 senior players with the leftover 10 crew individuals all being younger than 21 years of age, from the 2025-2026 season.
The new SPL procedure will give a hearty and clear pathway for youthful Saudi players and assist with spanning the advancement from youth group football inside the organization’s ongoing player improvement framework into the top level of the country’s football association. Focusing on the long haul, by the beginning of the 2026-2027 season, the SPL has likewise reported a command on clubs in the association to incorporate 8 “local” players that are alumni of the club foundations inside their fundamental program of 25 crew players, of which 4 are immediate alumni from the club’s framework.
How Is Saudi Pro League Nurturing Young Players?
In further work to make a robust and clear pathway energizing promising youthful Saudi ability with elite worldwide players and good examples, the SPL has sent off another Player Acquisition Center of Excellence (PACE). PACE will be driven by Michael Emenalo who joins the SPL as the new Overseer of football with quick impact, having been designated by the Directorate of the SPL. Currently all clubs have been completely advised on the Speed cycle for worldwide exchanges and are in action working with Emenalo.
Previous Nigerian global, Emenalo, is most popular for his reverberating 10 years of progress at Chelsea where as specialized chief, he upgraded all parts of the football activities. Under his direction, he upset the club’s exploring, enlistment, improvement, and credit frameworks. As SPL Overseer of Football, Emenalo will lead Speed and begin quickly helping with crew planning and player care. He will be liable for giving a unified way to deal with moves and assisting with giving all clubs the most ideal skill and administration to guarantee a dynamic, youthful, yet supportable future.
Key Initiatives
Saudi Pro League interim CEO & Vice Chairman, Saad Allazeez said: “The Saudi Pro League has an incredible and vital opportunity to help fulfil the country’s football ambitions and inspire more of our people into football and sport. From next season the SPL will become younger and more competitive, taking advantage of the groundwork the Saudi Arabian Football Federation has been putting in at the grassroots for many years. The new strategy also sees the Saudi Pro League take a central, elevated role in supporting and developing clubs through its Club Framework business unit, and by initiating PACE will provide and centrally implement checks and balances in dealings on the international transfer market.”
“There is much potential for new talent arriving in Saudi Arabia and a central function providing control and strong governance will ensure our investments are smart and benefit all in the league moving forward. Every club in the Saudi Pro League will get the opportunity to improve their squad through this innovative new model and Michael is the perfect man for the job. He has the ideal pedigree, the knowledge, the experience, the coaching qualifications and contacts to drive value and success for the overall league though this ambitious project.”
“The steps taken through PACE are part of a bigger plan and strategy that will be announced to improve the league and make it a world-class experience and product that engages globally and is competitive and sustainable in the long term, as one of the very best leagues in the world. This will be good for all football, good for all players, and good for all fans.”
Allazeez, added:“This strategy has been years in the making and has involved a lot of global footballing expertise to make the most of this unprecedented opportunity for growth. It goes far beyond and much deeper than the player transfers that are dominating headlines and focuses just as much on what happens off the pitch at the clubs. We are looking to the long-term and will be judged on that especially with helping the clubs become commercially successful with robust business models. The Club Development Program will also activate the fair play financial system, and monitor compliance with local and Asian licensing standards. We look forward to rolling out the full strategy in coming months.”
Recently delegated Head of Football at the Saudi Pro League, Michael Emenalo remarked: “I believe this is a role that I’ve spent the last 45 years preparing for. It was not a difficult role or offer to accept. I am intrigued by the audacity of the project and the ambition. This project has been in the making for a while. It’s not a spur of the moment decision, its well thought out. I’m impressed by the knowledge and input that’s gone into this. The Saudi Pro League offers a new opportunity first and foremost for the entire industry and I think will create avenues for good competition and for more development of young talent.”
Strategies For Later
The new SPL strategy expands upon the current player pathway divulged as a feature of ‘Strategies for later’ which was first presented in 2021 by the Saudi Bedouin Football League and has since seen a gigantic interest in time and assets. Beginning around 2021 financing in Saudi youth football has expanded by 162% and 23 local instructional hubs have been laid out and opened. The effect has been huge and the details are convincing. The quantity of enlisted male players has expanded by 58% and the quantity of mentors has ascended from 750 out of 2018 to more than 5,500 out of 2023, of which north of 1000 are female mentors. Subsequently, every high-potential Saudi footballer is presently followed and has a thorough arrangement, beginning from the age of six years of age through to turning proficient.
Saudi Arabian Football Federation, President, Yasser Al Misehal remarked: ““At the last FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Saudi Arabia gave a glimpse of what we are capable of at international level and demonstrated the quality of our domestic league, the SPL. But equally if not more pleasing was our victory in the U23 AFC Asian Cup without conceding a goal. The future is bright. And a lot of good thinking has gone into advancing football in Saudi Arabia, men’s and women’s. As you can see everyone is on the same page. There is very clear and connected pathway. Yes, we want a league to be proud, to entertain local fans and the world, but it has to serve the ambitions of the national team now and in the future. It has to be for the good of the game. That means a commitment to youth and the new strategy and regulations demonstrate just that.”
The execution of the new SPL system follows His Regal Height, Saudi Crown Ruler Mohammed Canister Salman’s new send-off of the Games Clubs Speculation and Privatization Undertaking, which involves two principal tracks. The primary involves endorsing the speculation of significant organizations and improvement organizations in sports clubs as a trade-off for moving the clubs’ possession to them. The subsequent part, in the interim, includes privatizing various game clubs, beginning in the last quarter of 2023.
Saudi Pro League Games and fixtures 2023/24
The full new procedure including Player Acquisition Center of Excellence (PACE) specialty unit will venture out in front of the 2023-2024 season during a period of veritable development for Saudi Arabian football. This season, the public group recorded a shocking triumph over possible heroes Argentina at FIFA World Cup 2022, the 6th time the Realm has equipped for the competition in the last eight missions. [1]
Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal came to both the FIFA Club World Cup and AFC Champions Association finals, and the association keeps on hitting new levels, with the best local ability and players from north of 40 unique nations creating genuine interest in the game the nation over.
Another ladies’ chief association has additionally been sent off, producing further interest across Saudi society with new subsidising just made accessible by SAFF. The new program commits new subsidised support and foster Head Association and Ladies’ Most Memorable Division clubs (30+ clubs) to guarantee the development and manageability of ladies’ football in the Realm. With more than 80% of the Realm’s populace likewise either playing, joining in, or following football, the Saudi pro League is assuming a significant part in the nation’s desires to develop sport – from grassroots to the expert level – and empowering the country’s kin to have solid existences.