Saudi Pro League Launches Second Phase of Player Acquisition Program

Riyadh: The Saudi Pro League (SPL) announced today the launch of the second phase of its Player Acquisition Center of Excellence (PACE) program, introducing a new mechanism for allocating funds. This step reflects the program's development and transition to a more organized and sustainable model that supports clubs' competitiveness and their sporting and commercial growth. According to Saudi Press Agency, the launch of the second phase is an extension of SPL's development journey, which began in 2023 and has enhanced the quality of competition, increased the league's appeal locally and internationally, and enabled clubs to develop their technical and competitive capabilities. The new mechanism is based on four main criteria for allocating funds: an equal share for all clubs at 22%, sporting performance at 22%, television viewership at 28%, and commercial performance at 28%. These criteria aim to provide a clear framework linking allocations to each club's sporting and commercial value and performance, th ereby enhancing competitive fairness and improving the efficiency of sports investment. The SPL emphasized that the second phase represents the program's transition from establishing the market and expanding recruitment opportunities to one focused on strengthening governance, establishing clearer criteria, and giving clubs a greater role in planning and resource management, in a way that supports sustainable growth and raises the level of competition. It also explained that it will distribute a detailed guideline to all clubs outlining the calculation mechanism for each criterion, enabling clubs, including newly promoted clubs, to build clear projections regarding their allocations ahead of registration periods. A copy of the guideline will also be made available to specialists and media outlets through SPL's official website. During its first phase, the program achieved several positive indicators, most notably a 221% increase in the total market value of league clubs, a 353% rise in combined club and co mmercial revenues, a 115% growth in the league's central commercial revenues, and a 5.63-point increase in its league power-ranking score.