JEDDAH, 8 February 2006 — Declining attendance at football matches at Jeddah’s Prince Abdullah Stadium has been blamed on several factors. However, according to one Saudi sports writer the biggest reason has been that fans can watch better football on global satellite television in the comfort of their own homes.
“The media played a big role in this,” Adel Essam-Aldine, director at the Saudi Sport Channel and sports writer at the Asharq Al-Awsat daily told Arab News on Saturday.
He said that since the media opened the door for the football fans to watch live international tournaments from football-crazy countries Brazil, Spain and Italy, people started to notice a distinct and improved difference in play, which has not bode well for ticket sales at local clubs.
“We cannot ask for perfect players,” said Essam-Aldine. “But they sure have the capability of improving.”
Commentators on live televised matches also give color to the matches for fans, said Essam-Aldine, adding that unless the Saudi matches start to include more professional players who perform well and add excitement to the games, attendance will continue to decline.
Figures on attendance are impossible to come by in Saudi Arabia. Arab News attempted to find statistical data on attendance, but sports officials cannot provide this information. Still, anyone that has attended football events in the Kingdom will tell you that there are always plenty of seats available.
In Jeddah, football fans say they no longer feel the excitement of attending the games.
Ticket prices, too, are a factor for some.
Former Al-Ittihad team captain Abdulmajeed Kayaal said that the prices for the tickets in the last five years had increased from SR15 to SR20 for the average tickets. Some complain that the stadium is too far away, and in need of renovations.
“If we want to attract people to attend, the south side of Jeddah is not the place,” said Abdulmajeed Bakr, another former football captain for Al-Ittihad.
He and Kayaal both suggested that the stadium be moved to the northern area of the city.
Longtime Saudi football fan Abu Imad, 62, said he used to attend because the teams used to have more Saudi players.
While fathers and grandfathers are losing their interest, youth aren’t taking up the slack.
“Some matches are not played during the weekend, which makes it harder for us to spend the day there especially during exams,” said Amro Hussain, 18, who also said that there isn’t enough security to prevent local hooligans from causing trouble.
Ammar Mahmoud, 20, also said that pickpockets are a problem that keeps him away from the stadium.
The tradition of going to watch live football and cheering for your favorite team is under threat in the Kingdom.
Another longtime Al-Ittihad fan, Abdulwahab Zahran, 60, said that just as musicians and painters need their fans that appreciate and motivate them, so do football players. “Without the cheering fans, we might lose the teams too,” he said.
