Newcastle United want to be Saudi Arabia’s Premier League team, says club chief
Newcastle United chiefs have outlined their ambition to become Saudi Arabia’s favourite Premier League team as they look to bridge a yawning revenue gap with their rivals.
Chief commercial officer Peter Silverstone said they hoped to leverage existing links to Saudi from their majority ownership by the kingdom’s Public Investment Fund.
“The key is always growing the fanbase for any football club,” Silverstone told the Leaders in Sport conference in London on Wednesday.
“We have an affinity to Saudi Arabia through our ownership so therefore we have an opportunity to attract a fanbase. That doesn’t happen by magic.
“Hopefully Newcastle can become their team of choice in the Premier League and hopefully that can lead to more eyeballs for brands looking to engage in that market.”
Newcastle’s off-field performance has not kept pace with the team’s resurgence since PIF’s takeover in 2021, which saw them return to the Champions League this season.
Although it has since been boosted by a new shirt sponsorship deal with PIF-owned events company Sela, Newcastle’s commercial revenue of £25m is less than 10 per cent of Manchester United’s, based on the most recent accounts. Their total income of £180m, meanwhile, is around 30 per cent of Manchester City’s.
The Saudi Arabian market represents an opportunity not just because of Newcastle’s ownership connection but also because of the country’s wider push into football and other sports.
PIF has bankrolled almost £1bn of signings including Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar to the Saudi Pro League, while it is expected to be chosen to host the men’s football World Cup in 2034.
Before then Saudi Arabia will stage the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, while it is already home to big boxing shows and a Formula 1 grand prix, and has shaken up golf with its lucrative LIV tour.
“Our nation is very passionate about football. We have always been like this, it’s a football nation,” Saudi vice minister for sport Bader Alkadi told Leaders in Sport.
“Saudi won the AFC Cup three times but we never hosted it so it was very important to us to bring it home [in 2027]. But it’s a build-up for greater events coming up.”