JEDDAH, 16 January 2008 — The Department of Investment and Club Privatization Administration of the General Presidency of Youth Welfare organized a groundbreaking workshop for sports marketing and investment in Riyadh.
The 10-day workshop that ended on Sunday attracted 65 participants, who are mainly administrators from Saudi sports federations and clubs, in addition to mediamen. It was held free of charge for participants at the Leader’s Qualification Center in Riyadh.
Delivering the closing lecture was Dr. Khalid Al-Bahouth, general manager at the Youth Welfare’s DICPA. His lecture discussed the background on the Saudi clubs privatization and the methods they had put in place since summer 2006 to achieve that in the upcoming years.
He said “so far it showed that, thank God, we are following the right direction.”
Dr. Al-Bahouth assured, “this field became very important and that is why we plan on holding this workshop annually.” This year he said, it was a beginner’s workshop, next year it will be for intermediates and beginners, and then for advanced, intermediates and beginners.
Because the country’s youths are also among the concerns, he said, “we arranged to start offering a one year diploma in Sports investment, marketing, and human resource at King Saudi University and the College of Education in Riyadh. All of these plans are to ensure that we get enough prepared and qualified men to help while promoting the sports investment in the country.”
He then added, that taking it step by step would secure that instead of having clubs with dues to pay, these clubs would be having an economic boom that attracts businesses and investments professionally. He then gave an example of a club that used to have dues to pay, and that dues decrease through the past two seasons because they fortunately adopted the concept of investment in their club.
Dr. Al-Bahouth said the seminar was open for all to attend and benefit. He said it was clear those who attended had already enough knowledge on the subject and showed great interest as they interacted with the speakers.
Of club athletes, he said that in order to increase return on investment for a sport club, the athlete had to work harder to increase his value and to thus corner better contracts. When this happens, the athlete’s club would be able to get a percentage of that benefit.
Though the event drew a large number of administrators, only three media men were allowed to participate, upsetting many journalists. One of the attendees, Mohammed Bernawi, sports journalist from Arab News sister publication Asharq Al-Awsat, said, “Media men can contribute a lot to these workshops and it saddens us that none of the topics highlighted our role. However, the speakers were very cooperative in listening to our comments and observation which we collected from covering sports here and abroad and we for sure appreciated and admired that in them.”
Bernawi then added, “I only knew about it while covering a previous workshop on Saudi professionalism in sports and managed to enroll luckily. I am sure all of those who attended this workshop would be able to get back to their clubs and implement many of the fruitful ideas discussed and experiences shared.”
Al-Bahouth said our targets were the sports clubs and federations here but the media attendance is very crucial and welcomed.
“They are highly encouraged to attend such workshops to have at least the basic knowledge on the subject especially to help them while covering the news to cover it the right way as they state the right rules and regulations and follow it. Mistakes such as blurring a logo of an advertising company on an athlete’s shirt would cause some distress for example between advertising company and the athlete or the club.
Meanwhile, Al-Bahouth said that another first of its kind, Sports Investment International Meeting, would be held within the next few months. This will include three days workshop, where the local and international speakers and expertise, in addition to athletes and sports administrators exchange ideas and benefit from them.
