• Saudi Arabia privatized three sports clubs—Al-Ansar, Al-Kholood, and Al-Zulfi—transferring ownership to private investment companies.
• The move is part of a broader initiative to privatize six clubs under the Sports Clubs Investment and Privatization Project.
• The Ministry will accept new investment interest, with clubs assessed for readiness before moving to a public bidding stage.

Ministry of Sport

The Saudi Ministry of Sport in collaboration with the National Center for Privatization & PPP (NCP) announced the privatization of the first three Saudi sports clubs through a public offering. These include  Al-Ansar, Al-Kholood, and Al-Zulfi.

Furthermore, ownership of these clubs has been transferred to investment entities. This follows the August 2024 announcement that six clubs would be offered for privatization. These include Al-Ansar, Al-Okhdood, Al-Kholood, Al-Zulfi, Al-Orobah, and Al-Nahda, as part of the second phase of the Sports Clubs Investment and Privatization Project.

This follows the completion of all regulatory procedures with NCP overseeing the establishment of private companies for each club. It is also facilitating the transfer of ownership. 

Under the new structure, Al-Zulfi Club will be owned by Nojoom Al-Salam Company. Meanwhile, Al-Kholood Club will be owned by Harburg Group, and Al-Ansar Club will be owned by Oudah Al-Baladi & Sons Company.

The Ministry is also announcing the completion of the proposal submission phase for Al-Nahda Club. after an extension was granted at the request of interested investors. These proposals are currently under review.  Meanwhile, investors interested in Al-Okhdood and Al-Orobah clubs did not meet the necessary requirements and conditions. 

Privatization Process

To ensure successful privatization, the Ministry will only accept proposals that meet its standards. This includes proposals that serve the long-term interests of the clubs, contribute to their professional development, and align with the goals of the initiative.

The privatization process has gone through key stages, beginning with the submission of expressions of interest and qualification requests. This was followed by the evaluation of those submissions, and then the receipt and assessment of technical and financial offers from qualified investors. Furthermore, the final stage involved the selection of the best offers and the announcement of results.

Additionally, the Ministry will allow for new expressions of interest from investment entities seeking to acquire other Saudi sports clubs. Furthermore, each request will be subject to a readiness assessment of the club followed by an evaluation of investor offers. Then, finally the launch of a public bidding process.