At this speed we’ll consider the SA league as one of the strongest in the world within a few years. I don’t see this as some marketing scheme, they’re in for it and it’s real.
Loyalty in football is sticky, meaning most serious fans don’t switch allegiance based on what happens in one two or three seasons. That’s why clubs like Juve or United can keep messing up again and again offering nothing but shit and yet retain massive brand equity.
And even if it dies down a bit, one good season and a large % of followers come back. People may tune in to see this star or that star’s goals and assists but turning them into fans is much more difficult.
The Saudis are doing this not to make money out of shirt sales or attendance or other direct football revenues. This is a massive sport washing/rebranding of the country as a whole and is part of MBS’s top down reform of the whole country.
He wants Saudi Arabia to become the regional hegemon, politically economically and culturally all at super speed. The World Cup bid, social and economic reforms all aim to establish Saudi as a great place to work and live. He wants to eat Dubai’s lunch. In the past, people took jobs there to make good money and pay close to no tax but knew that they’d live within the confines of the compounds for foreigners and that there’s next to nothing to do or enjoy in the country.
He’s building massive coastal resort cities by the Red Sea to make it a winter holiday destination. He’s relocating so many Middle Eastern actors and musicians to Saudi. Companies moving head quarters from Dubai to Riyadh and Jeddah. Mega concerts every month of the hottest stars in the world. So many changes to legislations that open up the country.
Think of it as a modernization and liberalization push but on steroids. the ROI is the rebrand and cultural impact over time not $$ from football revenues directly.