Saudi Arabia continues its push for sports internationalisation as Riyadh Season has secured a three-year sponsorship of La Liga.
The Spanish top-flight football league announced the agreement with the Saudi General Entertainment Authority-backed sports events entity yesterday (8 October) in a bid to increase its global recognition.
La Liga President Javier Tebas inked the deal with General Entertainment Authority Engineer Faisal Bafarat. Riyadh Season will gain major exposure throughout La Liga fixtures, events and more.
Tebas stated the “strategic importance of Saudi Arabia to La Liga”, commenting on how the league is “committed to fostering the growth of the sports and entertainment industry in the Kingdom by supporting distinguished initiatives like Riyadh Season”.
As part of the three-year partnership, Riyadh Season will look to organise and promote activities for both brands and implement joint initiatives targeting football fans and visitors to Saudi Arabia.
Former FC Barcelona and Valencia forward David Villa, now a La Liga Ambassador, spoke on the “tremendous growth” that Saudi Arabia has experienced over the past several years.
This growth can largely be attributed to the Saudi Arabian government’s focus on utilising sports, such as football, boxing, etc., to garner not only recognition as a potential destination for best-in-class sporting events but also as part of the government’s Vision 2030 initiative to help the country become a tourist destination.
Established in 2019, Riyadh Season held oversight on securing and organising sporting events. Five years in, the organisation has hosted major boxing bouts, such as Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk and UFC events such as UFC 306, which received title sponsorship at the Las Vegas Sphere show.
Riyadh Season has also worked with La Liga in the past. It hosted the Copa de Espana tournament last January at the Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh, featuring Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Osasuna.
