JEDDAH, 29 October 2007 — Mobily celebrated the inauguration of a strategic partnership with Al-Hilal Club, a deal that is touted as the largest of its kind in the Arab world.
The signing ceremony was held in the Prince Sultan Ballroom at Al-Faisaliah Tower in Riyadh last week. Dinner followed in the function attended by all Mobily and Al-Hilal officials. Mobily’s latest partnership with Al-Hilal is considered the largest and most valuable in the history of sports marketing in the region. The five-year agreement was worth SR200 million.
Prince Sultan ibn Fahd, president of the General Presidency of Youth Welfare and Saudi Football Federation, led a large number of well known dignitaries who attended the gathering. Prince Sultan’s deputy, Prince Nawaf ibn Faisal, also came. The Saudi sports community and media representatives in the Kingdom and the Arab world were well represented during the ceremony.
Prince Mohammad ibn Faisal, president of Al-Hilal Club, opened the ceremony by thanking the attendees for sharing this special occasion with Mobily. He welcomed the chairman of the club and his deputy and thanked them for attending the historic occasion for Mobily and Al-Hilal.
Prince Mohammad said that the agreement would be the first in a series of partnerships and profitable investments for all Saudi clubs that, from their side, have raised the pay of their players and enhanced their clubs. The prince added that this transformation would bring a positive impact not only on the whole Saudi football community, but also on the sporting community as a whole.
Prince Mohammad thanked the honorary members of Al-Hilal Club for their continuous efforts to support and develop the club.
“We could never continue with Al-Hilal Club without their help and wisdom,” said the prince. “They, who created the club and worked on its development, are the most clever leaders and decision makers, and we at Al-Hilal appreciate their continuous support for the club. It is their support that led this club to success.”
Prince Mohammad thanked Mobily officials for their support to the sports community in the Kingdom through their sponsorship of the Saudi national team, hoping such a union will be positive and fruitful for both parties.
Concluding his speech, Prince Mohammad thanked Al-Hilal fans for their loyalty, stressing that it is their support that has made the team popular. He appealed to businesses to make investments and enter partnership deals in sports.
Following Prince Mohammad’s speech, Abdul Aziz Al-Saghir, chairman of the board of directors at Mobily, stressed the significance of Prince Mohammad’s presence during the ceremony, saying that this is a sign of support for both Saudi sport and young Saudis, and to recognize the effort and role of the private sector in the development and expansion of the sports sector in the Kingdom.
“This strategic partnership between Al-Hilal and Mobily comes after deep research on the company’s part to achieve the best interests of both parties,” said Saghir. “In fact, this partnership allows the development of sports investments in the Kingdom, allowing it to compete on international standards.” “Since it was established, Mobily has sponsored many sports events and social activities in its continuous effort to contribute in the development of our beloved country, in addition to presenting its subscribers with the latest products in the world of telecommunication and technology,” he added.
Humoud Bin Aouda Al-Ghobaini, director of Public Relations and Media at Mobily, said Prince Sultan ibn Fahd’s attendance of the ceremony is an undeniable recognition of the efforts and role of the private sector in the development and expansion of the sports sector in the Kingdom.
“Mobily itself sponsors 13 sports teams and Olympic committees, as well as the Saudi School League that the company had been sponsoring for three years now”, said Al-Ghobaini. He added that the company also sponsors the Saudi national soccer team, in addition to the support of many other sports activities. Mobily also maintains the advertisement rights to six Saudi first-class clubs. Also during the ceremony the Mobily school soccer team were honored in recognition of their successful training camp in the Spanish city of Barcelona last month. In addition, Mobily and Hilal presented Prince Sultan with a memorial shield before ending the ceremony with a photo session with all Hilal and Mobily officials.
