The Saudi Pro League hit an embarrassing low over the weekend as just 447 fans turned up to watch a game in a stadium with a capacity of 38,000. Teams across the Gulf state have struggled to fill their grounds all season despite the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Neymar joining the league over the last 12 months.
Clubs in Saudi Arabia spent more than £1billion on new players during the summer transfer window as the country ramps up its efforts to become a major player in world football. However, it seems money cannot buy match-going fans, as demonstrated by the tiny attendance at Saturday’s game between Al-Wehda and Al-Khaleej.
Just 447 people turned up at the King Abdul Aziz Stadium, which is the home ground of Al-Wehda and boasts a maximum capacity of 38,000. It was not even the lowest attendance in the Saudi Pro League this season, though, with a mere 133 fans watching Al-Riyadh’s defeat at the hands of Al-Okhdood back in September.
Attendances seem to vary greatly depending on teams, with the four biggest clubs drawing in considerably more fans than other sides. Al-Nassr have been attracting close to 21,000 fans per match on average, while fellow big spenders Al-Hilal have welcomed around 27,000 supporters to home games this season.
The average attendance for the entire league currently stands at 8,786, according to Transfermarkt, with this figure heavily weighted on the few biggest teams in the country. Just five clubs have averaged over 10,000 fans per match this campaign, with Al-Hilal, Al-Ahli, Al-Nassr, Al-Ittihad and Al-Fateh bringing in considerably more supporters than any other side.
Al-Ettifaq, who are managed by Steven Gerrard and have Jordan Henderson in their squad, have only managed to bring in 8,542 fans per game on average this season. Al-Riyadh, meanwhile, currently have the lowest average attendance in the league with just 1,871 fans turning up to watch them on a weekly basis.
It remains to be seen whether fan engagement in Saudi Arabia will receive a boost over the coming years if the Gulf state persists with its strategy of spending huge fees on some of the world’s best players. Officials have attempted to speed up the process by bidding to host the World Cup in 2034, with Saudi Arabia the only nation to submit its proposal before FIFA’s deadline in October.
Yasser Al Misehal, president of the Saudi Football Federation, said at the time: “This is the second step of a hugely exciting journey that the nation is embarking on. Last week we announced our ambitions to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, and this official submission continues our journey to make the dreams of our people a reality.”
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