l articleMahd Academy.. Saudi Arabia lays hopes on grand sporting project

Saudi Arabia will unveil the Mahd Sports Academy next Monday, with the project considered the biggest discovery and development project led by the Kingdom in a bid to improve its sporting stature. Both girls and boys from the ages of 6 to 12 from all regions across the country will be able to become part of this new project.

This academy is expected to transform into one of the biggest in the world, with an aim to create a Saudi Golden Generation that challenges on a continental and international level. After a series of failures on the international level - the most prominent one being the 5-0 loss to Russia at the 2018 FIFA World Cup - Saudi Arabia are looking to bounce back with a comprehensive long-term project.

The academy is a continuation of Saudi Arabia’s attempts to assimilate the rest of the world with their country, as new relationships were formed with different nations, artists and organisations over the last two years to bring their resources across to Saudi Arabia for entertainment and educational purposes. Yanni, David Guetta and Steve Aoki made their way to Saudi Arabia to perform at concerts while the Italian and Spanish Super Cup were hosted in the Kingdom too. As Saudi Arabia is witnessing somewhat of a Golden Era at the current time, attempts to diversify the economy by attracting more tourists is at the top of their list.

Since the appointment of Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal as Minister of Sports in December 2018, the work has started with General Manager Abdulla bin Faisal Hammad to condition age groups from the ages of 6 and above to discover and acquire talents. Cooperating with the Ministry of Education and PE teachers are amongst the first steps that will be taken to create the stars of the future, with organisers on the look for talented coaches at all times.

It’s worth noting that the Ministry of Sports has made more than 40 agreements with university sporting departments, as Saudi men and women are being sent abroad to gain the right education to later work in the sports industry. This has seen students sent to The University of Real Madrid, the Harvard British University and the Johan Cruyff Dutch University to acquire their diplomas. The goal is to create a platform for Saudi players and coaches to grow as the Vision 2030 approaches. Within 10 years, Saudi will have wanted to attract businessmen that invest in projects such as NEOM, Al-Ula, The Red Sea and Jeddah Downtown.