October 2, 2025 • 30 mins
AI-Driven Football: Sovereign Wealth, Gender-Washing, and the Global Digital DivideWe provide a multi-faceted view of the rapidly expanding and modernizing sports landscape in the Middle East and Africa, particularly focusing on soccer and technological integration. This episode highlights the Middle East's ambition to become a global sports hub, driven by massive government investment, infrastructure projects like new stadiums in Saudi Arabia, and the growing prominence of women's sports. We concentrate on the adoption and challenges of performance analysis technology in African football, specifically in South Africa and Egypt, noting the difficulties related to funding, technological divides, and resistance from "old school" coaches. Finally, we introduce "SoccerNet," a deep learning model for predicting match winners in the Qatar Stars League, which analyzed data from ten seasons to conclude that defenders and the final match segments have the most significant impact on game outcomes in that professional league.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to the deep dive. Today we are looking at
something well, truly transformative happening in
global sports. It feels like a seismic shift.
It really does. You've got these massive changes
happening on kind of two parallel tracks.
Right. What are those tracks?
Well, on one hand, you have thisincredible surge of investment,
strategic money pouring out of the Middle East, particularly
(00:22):
the Gulf states. It's reshaping the entire
landscape. Unprecedented levels of capital,
yeah. Exactly.
And then sort of quieter, but just as revolutionary.
You've got technology, deep learning, sophisticated
performance analysis. It's changing how the game is
played and coached everywhere from the top leagues down to
developing regions. And it's the intersection that's
(00:43):
fascinating, isn't it, how that big money that macro investment
is fueling and maybe even colliding with this micro level
data science on the pitch? Precisely.
That's the core of it. So our mission today for you
listening is to really unpack the drivers behind all this.
We want to decode this rapid change.
We'll start with the big picture, looking at those
(01:05):
national visions in the Gulf Cooperation Council, the GCC
that are pumping in the money. The why behind the investment?
Then we'll pivot, we'll get intothe nuts and bolts of the
technology, performance analysis, AI, and how it's
actually being used, not just inthe Middle East, but in Africa
too. See what the reality is on the
ground. Yeah.
And we've kind of structured this to flow logically, start
(01:28):
macro with the investment and the sheer scale of ambition,
right, then zoom right in to themicro, the tech on the field,
how it maximizes performance. And then broaden out again.
Exactly. We'll finish by looking at the
social side, the changes happening alongside all this
money in tech, especially, you know, around women in sports,
which is a huge part of the story.
OK, great. A systematic flow sounds good.
(01:49):
Let's jump right in then with the capital, because honestly,
that seems to be the engine powering so much of this.
It absolutely is. The ambition coming out of the
Middle East, particularly the GCC nations, it's fundamentally
changing where big events happen, where the top talent
plays. Look at the World Cups.
Qatar 2022 was a landmark, no doubt.
Huge. But it wasn't the end point.
Saudi Arabia is already locked in for 2034.
(02:11):
That really anchors the region, particularly football, right at
the center of global game for the foreseeable future.
And these aren't just one off bids, are they?
It feels more strategic than that.
Oh. Absolutely.
These hosting rights, they're like proof points, visible
successes stemming from these really comprehensive long term
national strategies. It's all about economic
(02:32):
diversification. Moving away from oil and gas.
Primarily, yes, building new sectors and the scale of the
financial commitment is just, well, look at the Saudi sports
market projections I saw. Those numbers?
They're pretty. Staggering.
Aren't they projected to nearly triple from around $8 billion
now to potentially $22.4 billionby 2030?
Wow. $22.4 billion in less than a decade.
(02:55):
That's not just growth, that's building an entirely new
economic pillar. It tells you this is a
fundamental sector wide transformation and.
It's important to stress this isn't just, you know, a few rich
individuals buying clubs, although that happens.
This feels different. It is different.
It's systematic government alignment.
These sports initiatives are woven directly into the fabric
(03:17):
of broader national plans like Saudi Vision 2030.
That's the big one everyone talks about.
South Vision 2030 explicitly includes sports as a driver.
Absolutely. It's seen as key to establishing
the region as a global hub for tourism, entertainment and, yes,
sports, and, crucially, diversifying the economy.
And who's providing the firepower for this?
(03:38):
The actual capital. Sovereign wealth funds, they are
the dominant force here. Think about this.
They're leading something like 24% of all global sports
investments right now. 24% that's nearly 1/4 of all sports
investment worldwide coming fromthese state.
Funds. It's a huge slice of the pie and
it signals a very deliberate long term strategy.
Why sovereign wealth funds specifically?
(03:59):
What advantage do they bring compared to, say, private
equity? Well, they operate differently.
They typically have a much higher risk tolerance for one,
and crucially, a much longer time horizon.
They can invest in massive infrastructure projects that
might take decades to fully pay off.
Like building stadiums. Exactly.
(04:20):
Private capital might balk at that kind of long term uncertain
return, but for a state fund aiming for national
transformation, it makes sense. Look at the 2034 World Cup prep
in Saudi Arabia. What are they planning?
They're. Not just polishing up old
venues, they're building 11 brand new stadiums.
state-of-the-art, plus renovating for existing ones.
That's immense infrastructure investment.
(04:41):
And is this focused solely on football football given the
World Cup, or is it broader? It's definitely broader.
Football is the flagship for sure, but the goal is a diverse
sports ecosystem. OK, Look at the UAE for example.
They're investing heavily in specialized facilities.
They're building their first proper indoor velodrome for
cycling. For year round cycling
presumably given the climate. Exactly.
(05:02):
And get this, They're also building the world's largest
wave pool. A wave pool for surfing and
water sports. Precisely targeting those
emerging sports, extreme athletics, it shows a desire to
attract all kinds of global events, not just the traditional
ones. They want to pioneer new
markets, leverage their infrastructure.
It's smart diversification within the sports sector itself.
(05:23):
It is build the facilities, attract the events, grow the
local participation. But all this investment, all
these shiny new venues, it only works if people actually show
up, right? If there's an audience for it.
Absolutely crucial, and that's where the region has a pretty
unique demographic advantage. Young population.
Incredibly young and very tech savvy.
(05:44):
Get the statistic 50% of the entire GCC population is under
25 years old. Half the population under 25.
Wow. Think about what that means for
consumption habits, for adoptingnew trends.
This is a digitally native generation.
And are they embracing these newsports opportunities?
Massively, you see the rapid rise in popularity of sports
like padel. Which is huge now, yeah.
(06:05):
Everywhere and also MMA, mixed martial arts.
It really resonates with that younger demographic and fits
into the global combat sports boom.
So new sports are taking root. What about the established ones
like football? Has the investment translated
into fan engagement there? Oh definitely.
You can see a direct impact. That strategy of bringing in
(06:28):
high profile international superstars to the local leagues,
it's worked. How?
So in Saudi Arabia, live attendance at football matches
has essentially doubled, doubledin a very short space of time.
And you attribute that directly to the big name signings.
It's heavily fueled by it. Yes, players like Ronaldo,
Neymar, Benzema, they bring global eyeballs, sure, but they
(06:50):
also significantly lift the quality of the league.
Fans respond to that. They come out because the
product on the pitch is visibly better, more exciting.
So the investment creates a better product, which drives
engagement, which then justifiesmore investment, A virtuous
cycle. That's the model they're aiming
for, absolutely. OK.
So this combination of massive capital, superstar talent,
state-of-the-art infrastructure,it sets the stage perfectly for
(07:14):
our next section, doesn't it? It really does.
Because once you've spent, say, 100 million on a player or
billions on a league, you need to protect that investment.
You need to maximize performance.
You need the science, you need the data.
You can't just rely on gut feeling anymore.
Not at this level. Which brings us squarely into
the data revolution Performance analysis, or PA.
(07:34):
Let's unpack this, because it's way beyond just counting goals
in a system. Oh, Miles beyond PA is
absolutely fundamental to moderncoaching.
It's about objective measurement, taking the
guesswork out. So what kind of things are we
talking about? What's being tracked?
Everything basically complete versus incomplete passes, sure,
but also we're on the pitch. Interceptions happened, the
(07:55):
quality of shots on target, off target, expected goals even.
Plus all the physiological data,distance covered, Sprint speeds,
fatigue levels, it's granular. It sounds incredibly detailed.
Has this field just sprung up recently with technology?
Not entirely. I mean the roots go way back.
Surprisingly. You had figures like Charles
Reap in England in the 1950s hand tallying match events,
(08:17):
trying to find statistical patterns.
By hand. Wow.
Yeah, and later people like Valerie Lebodowski in the Soviet
Union in the 70s using early computer models for tactical
analysis in Ukrainian football. But it was basic compared to
now. So what was the real turning
point? What made it indispensable?
Technology, fundamentally the shift from subjective human
(08:39):
observation to objective, undeniable measurement.
Because coach is just miss things or biased.
Both, really. Research has shown that during a
fast-paced, chaotic 90 minute match, a coach might only
reliably recall about 30% of thekey actions. 30% that low?
Yeah. And that recall is often
filtered through their own biases, maybe focusing on
(08:59):
players they like or just remembering the big emotional
moments. Technology doesn't have biases.
So video analysis was the first big step.
It was a huge step becoming common from the 80s onwards.
Being able to rewatch plays, slow them down, tag specific
actions allowed for much deeper pattern recognition.
But the real game changer was tracking the players themselves.
Right? The GPS vests.
(09:20):
Exactly. Electronic performance and
tracking systems. EPTS things like GPS trackers,
which FIFA officially approved for use in matches back in 2015,
that unlocked a whole new level of data.
How do those EPTS systems actually work?
What are they capturing? It's usually a combination of
things. The GPS devices in the vests
worn by players triangulate their position thousands of
(09:42):
times a second, so you get precise location, speed,
acceleration, distance covered. And that's combined with
cameras. Often yes.
Multi camera systems track clearmovement across the entire
pitch. Combining the GPS data with the
video tracking gives you this incredibly rich real time
picture of everything happening.Heat map showing player
positioning, Sprint counts, fatigue indicators.
(10:04):
An objective record of effort and tactics.
Precisely undeniable data that informs training, tactics,
substitutions, everything. So the elite leagues in Europe
have obviously embraced this. And you're saying the GCC
nations with their resources areimplementing these systems
wholesale? They are.
They have the financial muscle to buy the best systems.
Hire the analysts and integratedfully into their clubs and
(10:25):
national teams. OK, but now let's introduce that
contrast you mentioned earlier. What about other regions like
Africa, which also has a deep football culture?
Right. And this is where you really see
what's often called the technological and digital
divide. It's quite stark.
So despite hosting the World Cupin 2010, for instance, South
Africa struggles with PA implementation.
(10:47):
Well, the World Cup definitely improved facilities, stadiums,
training grounds, that sort of thing, but sustained funding
specifically for performance analysis tools, software and
personnel that remains scarce inmany parts of the continent.
Is it purely a money issue or are there other barriers?
The money is a big part of it. Obviously these systems aren't
cheap, but it's more complex than just funding.
(11:08):
It's also about having organizedinstitutions, reliable
technological infrastructure, and, importantly, enough
educated people analysts who know how to use the tools
effectively. You mentioned potential
misallocation of funds too. Yeah, there was one analysis
pointing out that sometimes in certain African football
contexts, money that could go towards essential analysis tools
(11:30):
might get diverted elsewhere, maybe to, you know, unnecessary
luxuries for club owners or inflated wages for squad players
who don't contribute much. It's a systemic challenge.
Infrastructure challenges too, like reliable Internet or power
for data. As protocols, the ability to
(11:52):
process large data streams reliably, these things require
stable infrastructure that mightnot always be present.
So it's a multifaceted problem. If institutional funding is
lacking, how is the skills gap being addressed?
Are people getting trained? This is where private companies
are often stepping in big international PA providers like
Prozone or Dartfish. They've set up shop in places
(12:14):
like South Africa. And they're just selling
software. They're doing more than that.
They're actively running courses, offering
certifications, training local analysts on how to use their
specific software, how to standardize tagging, like what
specific actions to look for andrecord in the video, and
crucially, how to turn all that raw data into reports that a
(12:35):
coach can actually understand and use quickly.
Building local capacity, that seems vital.
It is because even if you have the tech, you need the human
expertise to make it meaningful.But you also hinted at another
hurdle, cultural resistance, coaches not wanting to use this
stuff. Yes, that's definitely a real
factor in various places, including parts of Africa and
(12:55):
the Middle East, like Egypt for example.
And the resistance. It often comes from, let's say,
more experienced old school coaches.
Coaches who built their careers on intuition man management,
their eye for the game. And they see data as a threat.
Some do, yeah. They might feel it challenges
their authority, their expertise.
Or they might worry it makes their job feel less secure.
(13:17):
Less art, more science. We've heard accounts of coaches
literally blocking analysts withcameras from attending training
sessions. Seeing it as spying rather than
support. Exactly.
That kind of mindset really slows down adoption, even when
the benefits are clear. But surely not all coaches are
resistant. There must be proponents too.
Oh, absolutely. And increasingly, the successful
(13:39):
ones recognize PA is essential. There's a good example with Yab
Galal, a coach who had success with Mr. Alma Casa in Egypt.
What was his take? He was very public about saying
performance analysis is critical.
His logic was simple. The best teams abroad use it
constantly. If we want to compete
internationally or even just improve our own lead, we have to
(14:01):
adapt. It's becoming a non negotiable
part of modern football. A.
Professional necessity, right? Survival of the fittest,
technologically speaking. OK, so let's say a coach is on
board. They have the tech, they have
the analyst. What's the next challenge?
Getting the players to actually absorb the information.
That's $1,000,000 question, isn't it?
Communication How do you delivercomplex data insights
(14:22):
effectively to players, especially younger ones?
Who maybe have shorter attentionspans.
Studies suggest exactly that players, particularly the
younger generation, can get overwhelmed or just tune out if
you hit them with long, dry statistical reports or lengthy
video sessions. So brevity is key.
Absolutely paramount. Feedback sessions need to be
concise, focused. Ideally, team talks based on
(14:45):
analysis shouldn't run much longer than, say, 15 or 20
minutes. 15 minutes? That's short.
Some analysts in South Africa found they lost players
attention if feedback went over just 6 minutes. 6 minutes.
Wow. OK.
So how do you make an impact in such a short time?
You have to make it visual. The mantra is see rather than
hear meaning meaning. Less lecturing, more showing.
(15:06):
Use short, impactful video clipsthat illustrate the specific
point you're making. Use clear graphical
visualizations of the data. Heat maps, charts showing past
completion in certain zones, whatever visual evidence cut
through, it's much harder to argue with and it speeds up
learning. Makes sense.
Show, don't just tell. Exactly, and the ultimate goal,
which the top clubs are getting closer to, is integrating this
(15:28):
feedback almost live, the analyst feeding information
directly to the bench during thegame, allowing for immediate
tactical adjustments. Real time coaching informed by
data. That's the cutting edge, and
that leads us perfectly into thenext evolution, artificial
intelligence and deep learning, moving beyond just analyzing
(15:48):
what happened to predicting whatwill happen.
Right, this is where it gets really interesting, isn't it?
When the machines start not justobserving, but forecasting.
It's a fundamental leap from descriptive analytics to
predictive and even prescriptive, telling you what
you should do. And the Saudi Pro League, with
all that investment we talked about, they're jumping head
first into AI. They absolutely are.
They've significantly expanded their partnership with Stats
(16:10):
Perform, a major player in sports data.
They're integrating advanced Opta data and, crucially, Opta
AI solutions like Optivision. Optivision.
What does that do? Think of it as creating a super
detailed digital replica of the game in real time.
It takes all that raw data, player tracking on ball events
like passes and shots, fitness metrics from the EPTS vests, and
(16:32):
then applies AI models to generate predictive insights.
So every club in the Saudi top flight gets access to this?
Yes, complete player tracking, fitness data and these AI
powered predictive metrics. It levels the playing field,
technologically speaking, withinthe league.
And what's the main benefit? Better game analysis.
That's a big part of it, yes. Unparalleled insights for
(16:54):
coaches during and after matches.
But maybe even more significantly, it's transforming
their recruitment. How does AI help with signing
players? The System Off Division crunches
data from dozens of leagues around the world.
The AI models can then identify players who fit specific
tactical profiles, quantify traits that go beyond just
goals, or assist things like spatial awareness, decision
(17:16):
making under pressure, effectiveness in transition
moments. So they can scout
scientifically, finding players who match their system based on
data and not just reputation. Exactly, it allows them to make
much more informed, data-driven recruitment decisions, finding
undervalued talent, assessing suitability before spending huge
transfer fees. It's a massive potential
advantage in the global market. And this AI integration isn't
(17:39):
just for the teams, right? It impacts the fans, too.
Totally the same AI capabilitiesare used to power fan
engagement. They feed the official league
stats hubs Dr. Sophisticated fantasy football games create
those slick graphics and insights you see during
broadcasts. So it's enhancing the product on
the pitch and the experience forthe viewer.
It's a holistic approach. Use AI to improve the football
(18:01):
and use it to make the football more engaging and commercially
successful. Really smart.
Now, looking elsewhere in the region, you mentioned some
fascinating deep learning work coming out of Qatar,
specifically the Qatar Stars League QSL.
Yes, this is a really interesting research project.
Academics there developed a model they called Soccernet.
Soccernet and this was focused purely on predicting match
(18:24):
outcomes. Primarily, yes.
They use a specific type of deeplearning model called a Gated
Recurrent Unit or Gru. OK, Gru.
Why that specific type of model?What's special about it for
football? Well, Grus are really good at
handling sequential data. The data that unfolds overtime
and football is exactly that, isn't it?
(18:45):
What happens in the 50th minute depends on everything that came
before it. Momentum fatigue.
Tactical shifts. Exactly, GR user designed to
remember patterns and dependencies over time,
capturing that flow of the game much better than traditional
stats that just look at isolatedevents.
And they trained this Gru model on a lot of data.
A massive amount 10 full seasonsof detailed match and player
(19:06):
data from the QSL from around 2011 to 2022.
They broke down each match into 15 minute intervals to analyze
how the game dynamics changed. Ten seasons of data and what was
the result? How accurate was soccer net?
This is the remarkable part. The model achieved over 80%
accuracy in predicting match winners in the QSL. 80% in
football. That sounds incredibly high
(19:27):
given how unpredictable games can be.
It's an exceptional benchmark, especially for a professional
league in the many region. It was genuinely groundbreaking
work. But you said the real value
wasn't just the prediction itself, but the insights it
revealed. Exactly.
Predicting the winner is cool, but why the model made those
predictions is where the tactical gold lies.
(19:47):
It gave them two really significant aha moments about
the nature of football and guitar.
OK, let's hear them. What was the first big insight?
The first one was about the relative importance of different
playing positions. Soccernet found quite clearly
that the performance and actionsof defenders in the QSL had a
significantly more dominant impact on predicting the match
(20:09):
outcome. Than the actions of midfielders
or forwards. Defenders were more important
than attackers for predicting the winner.
That seems counterintuitive, right?
We usually focus on goal scores.It does seem counterintuitive if
you're thinking about, say, highscoring European leagues, but
the data was clear for the QSL context.
So what does that tell us about the style of play in the Qatar
Stars League? It strongly suggests that
(20:31):
matches there are often characterized by a more defense
oriented approach. Maybe teams focus more on solid
organization, avoiding mistakes,perhaps relying on counter
attacks or set pieces to win games rather than expansive
attacking football. So.
Preventing goals is statistically more valuable than
scoring them in that league. According to this model, yes,
(20:53):
the defender's ability to shut down the opposition was the
single biggest predictive factor.
How would a coach use that insight?
Does it mean just buy more defenders?
It means prioritizing defensive investment, certainly, but more
specifically it validates spending more training time on
defensive shape organization, practicing set piece defending,
ensuring the fitness and concentration of the backline
(21:15):
for the full 90 minutes. It tells you where your marginal
gains are most likely to come from in that specific
competitive environment. Fascinating.
OK. What was the second moment from
soccer now? You mentioned the time factor.
Yes, the second key finding was about when the game is decided.
The model showed that the final 15 to 30 minutes of a match had
a significantly greater impact on the final result than any
(21:37):
earlier period. So the end of the game matters
most. That feels intuitively right.
Games often get decided. Late, we all feel that, yes, but
Cybernet quantified it. It's statistically proved that
the closing stages are disproportionately critical in
the QSL. Conversely, the model found the
1st 15 minutes had the least impact on the eventual outcome.
(21:57):
Interesting. Least impact at the start, most
impact at the end. How is that actionable for
teams? It heavily underscores the
importance of several things. One, physical conditioning.
Players need to be able to perform at a high level
physically and mentally when fatigue kicks in during those
crucial final 30 minutes. So endurance training, sport
science focusing on late game performance.
(22:18):
Absolutely 2 Tactical substitutions become even more
critical, bringing on fresh legsor players who can change the
game in that key period. 3 Sychological preparation,
maintaining focus and executing under pressure when the game is
on the line. It tells coaches exactly where
to focus their resources for maximum impact on results.
Manage the end game well. Precisely, it validates huge
(22:42):
investment in the science and strategy around closing out
matches effectively. Incredible what these deep
learning models can reveal. So we've covered the massive
financial flows, the cutting edge tech from performance
tracking to predictive AI. Yeah, the hardware and the
software, essentially. But as we hinted at the
beginning, these huge shifts arehappening in a vacuum.
(23:03):
They're tied into broader societal changes, aren't they?
Intrinsically linked. You can't separate the economic
and technological transformationfrom the social context.
And a major part of that social context, especially in the
Middle East, is the changing role of women, particularly in
sports. It's one of the most visible and
potentially profound transformations underway, and
(23:23):
again, it's often explicitly linked to those national
strategies like Vision 20-30 in Saudi Arabia.
So Vision 2030 includes goals for gender equality and women in
sport. Yes, enhancing gender equality
is stated as a goal, and this involves efforts to, well,
redefine the status and participation of women across
society, including in sports. It's presented as a deliberate
(23:46):
top down initiative. Now, this is obviously a
positive development in many ways, but you also mentioned
there's a critical perspective on this, a potential tension.
There is, and it's important we acknowledge it impartially.
Some feminist critics and analysts are examining these
developments very closely. They raise the question, are
these changes genuinely driven by a desire for women's
emancipation and empowerment from within the society, or are
(24:10):
they potentially part of a broader strategy sometimes
termed gender washing? Gender washing meaning using
progress on women's rights for PR purposes.
Essentially, yes. The critique suggests that some
of these highly visible initiatives, like launching
women's leagues, funding female athletes, building women's
sports centers, might be motivated more by external
factors, things like improving the country's international
(24:32):
image, attracting investment, boosting tourism, using it as a
form of soft power. So presenting a modern face to
the world, potentially masking other issues.
That's the core of the critique,that it might be more about
international perception management than deep rooted
organic internal pressure for feminist change.
It's a complex debate with validpoints on both sides.
(24:54):
But regardless of the primary motivation, whether it's
internal change or external projection, the actual impact on
the ground seems undeniable, doesn't it?
Women are participating more. That's the crucial counter
argument, and it's very strong. Whatever the driver, the
tangible outcomes are significant.
The momentum is real. Look at Saudi Arabia again.
They now have over 500 dedicatedsports centers specifically for
(25:17):
women. 500 centers. That's a massive increase in
access. Huge.
It dramatically increases opportunities for physical
activity, for discovering talent, for elite training
pathways, and you see female football leagues expanding
rapidly. That alone represents a major
cultural shift and institutionalacceptance.
Is this growth reflected regionally as well in
competitions? It is.
(25:40):
Look at the Arab women's sports tournament AWST.
It's grown significantly and is now the largest event of its
kind in the region. What does an event like AWST
achieve? It provides A vital platform for
high level competition across many sports.
It creates visible role models for young girls.
It helps normalize the presence of women competing at an elite
(26:00):
level, both within their own countries and across the Arab
world. And how does the sports industry
itself view this? Is it seen purely as a social
good or is there a commercial aspect emerging?
Well, the commercial potential is now being seen as enormous.
The industry outlook is incredibly positive.
Really. What are executives saying?
Recent surveys show overwhelmingoptimism.
(26:22):
Something like 85% of sports industry executives in the
region expect significant revenue growth specifically from
women's sports, over the next five years 85.
Percent expect growth. That's huge confidence.
It signals that this isn't just being seen as fulfilling a
social quota anymore. It's viewed as a major untapped
commercial opportunity. That combination of societal
(26:42):
push and market pull makes it feel much more sustainable long
term. But for that commercial growth
to be fully realized, visibilityis key, right?
People need to be able to watch women's sports.
Absolutely. And historically, lower media
coverage has been a major barrier for women's sports
globally, not just in this region.
So what needs to happen to boostvisibility there?
(27:04):
To really accelerate growth, themedia coverage needs a strategic
uplift. That means high production
values, making the broadcasts look as good as men's sports and
crucially, multi platform distribution.
Going beyond just traditional TV.
Definitely reaching that young, tech savvy audience we talked
about earlier means being strongon digital platforms, streaming
(27:26):
services, social media, tailoring the content to help
people actually consume media today.
And focusing on stories, not just scores.
Yes. Moving beyond just reporting
results to actually building narratives, creating stars,
telling the stories of the athletes.
That's what builds sustained fandom and commercial value.
High quality storytelling is essential.
This has been such a fascinatingjourney through this
(27:47):
transformation. We've really covered a lot of.
Ground we really have. It's a complex picture.
We started with that mind boggling scale of investment,
didn't we? Highlighting that Saudi sports
market possibly hitting $22.4 billion by 2030.
Just incredible numbers. Driven by those national
visions, yeah. Then we drilled right down into
the tech performance analysis becoming standard, the
(28:09):
challenges in places like Africa, that digital divide.
And the cultural hurdle sometimes too.
Right. And then into the cutting edge,
the AI in the Saudi Pro League for recruitment and fan
engagement and that amazing soccer net model in Qatar.
Achieving over 80% prediction accuracy.
And telling us that defenders are the unsung heroes
statistically in the QSL and that the last 30 minutes are
(28:32):
where games are won or lost. Really specific insights.
Yeah, the power of deep learningapplied locally.
And finally, we connected it allto the social dimension, the
undeniable rise of women's sports, the access, the
competitions like AWST, but alsoacknowledging that critical
perspective, the questions around gender washing.
Crucial to see it all together. So pulling it all together,
(28:54):
what's the final synthesis? What's the main take away from
this deep dive? For me, it's the sheer
interconnectedness. You have this powerful drive for
economic diversification using sovereign wealth.
You have radical technological advancement with AI and data
science, and these are inseparable from deep social
changes, especially around gender participation and the
(29:15):
need to bridge that tech gap we saw in Africa.
It's all happening at once, feeding into each other.
A confluence of massive forces reshaping the region's place in
the world through sport. Exactly.
It's high speed, high stakes transformation.
OK, before we wrap up, you always leave us with a final
provocative thought, something for the listener to chew on.
Right. Well, we've talked a lot about
the speed and scale of the change, the money, the tech that
(29:37):
social shifts. But there's another layer we
touched on briefly. Sustainability.
Yes, the AI powered stadiums reducing energy use.
Precisely. It's all this massive
construction and investment. There's a stated strong focus on
building sustainably using technology like AI not just for
performance, but to optimize stadium operations.
(29:59):
Cut energy consumption figures like up to 40% reduction are
being targeted, making these huge venues more environmentally
responsible. So sustainability is being baked
in from the start, alongside thetech and investment.
That's the plan, at least on paper.
So the final thought for you, the listener, is this.
Given the sheer magnitude of everything we've discussed, the
(30:20):
economic restructuring, the technological leapfrogging, the
social evolution, and this commitment to sustainable
infrastructure, decades from now, what will we see as the
longest lasting legacy of this current transformation?
Will it be the diversified economies?
Perhaps. Or will it be the change social
fabric, particularly regarding women's roles?
Or could it be these pioneering models of huge yet sustainable
(30:43):
AI driven sports infrastructure that set a new global standard?
Which of these legacies will endure the longest and have the
most profound impact? Something to consider.
Welcome to the deep dive. Today we are looking at
something well, truly transformative happening in
global sports. It feels like a seismic shift.
It really does. You've got these massive changes
happening on kind of two parallel tracks.
Right. What are those tracks?
Well, on one hand, you have thisincredible surge of investment,
strategic money pouring out of the Middle East, particularly
(00:22):
the Gulf states. It's reshaping the entire
landscape. Unprecedented levels of capital,
yeah. Exactly.
And then sort of quieter, but just as revolutionary.
You've got technology, deep learning, sophisticated
performance analysis. It's changing how the game is
played and coached everywhere from the top leagues down to
developing regions. And it's the intersection that's
(00:43):
fascinating, isn't it, how that big money that macro investment
is fueling and maybe even colliding with this micro level
data science on the pitch? Precisely.
That's the core of it. So our mission today for you
listening is to really unpack the drivers behind all this.
We want to decode this rapid change.
We'll start with the big picture, looking at those
(01:05):
national visions in the Gulf Cooperation Council, the GCC
that are pumping in the money. The why behind the investment?
Then we'll pivot, we'll get intothe nuts and bolts of the
technology, performance analysis, AI, and how it's
actually being used, not just inthe Middle East, but in Africa
too. See what the reality is on the
ground. Yeah.
And we've kind of structured this to flow logically, start
(01:28):
macro with the investment and the sheer scale of ambition,
right, then zoom right in to themicro, the tech on the field,
how it maximizes performance. And then broaden out again.
Exactly. We'll finish by looking at the
social side, the changes happening alongside all this
money in tech, especially, you know, around women in sports,
which is a huge part of the story.
OK, great. A systematic flow sounds good.
(01:49):
Let's jump right in then with the capital, because honestly,
that seems to be the engine powering so much of this.
It absolutely is. The ambition coming out of the
Middle East, particularly the GCC nations, it's fundamentally
changing where big events happen, where the top talent
plays. Look at the World Cups.
Qatar 2022 was a landmark, no doubt.
Huge. But it wasn't the end point.
Saudi Arabia is already locked in for 2034.
(02:11):
That really anchors the region, particularly football, right at
the center of global game for the foreseeable future.
And these aren't just one off bids, are they?
It feels more strategic than that.
Oh. Absolutely.
These hosting rights, they're like proof points, visible
successes stemming from these really comprehensive long term
national strategies. It's all about economic
(02:32):
diversification. Moving away from oil and gas.
Primarily, yes, building new sectors and the scale of the
financial commitment is just, well, look at the Saudi sports
market projections I saw. Those numbers?
They're pretty. Staggering.
Aren't they projected to nearly triple from around $8 billion
now to potentially $22.4 billionby 2030?
Wow. $22.4 billion in less than a decade.
(02:55):
That's not just growth, that's building an entirely new
economic pillar. It tells you this is a
fundamental sector wide transformation and.
It's important to stress this isn't just, you know, a few rich
individuals buying clubs, although that happens.
This feels different. It is different.
It's systematic government alignment.
These sports initiatives are woven directly into the fabric
(03:17):
of broader national plans like Saudi Vision 2030.
That's the big one everyone talks about.
South Vision 2030 explicitly includes sports as a driver.
Absolutely. It's seen as key to establishing
the region as a global hub for tourism, entertainment and, yes,
sports, and, crucially, diversifying the economy.
And who's providing the firepower for this?
(03:38):
The actual capital. Sovereign wealth funds, they are
the dominant force here. Think about this.
They're leading something like 24% of all global sports
investments right now. 24% that's nearly 1/4 of all sports
investment worldwide coming fromthese state.
Funds. It's a huge slice of the pie and
it signals a very deliberate long term strategy.
Why sovereign wealth funds specifically?
(03:59):
What advantage do they bring compared to, say, private
equity? Well, they operate differently.
They typically have a much higher risk tolerance for one,
and crucially, a much longer time horizon.
They can invest in massive infrastructure projects that
might take decades to fully pay off.
Like building stadiums. Exactly.
(04:20):
Private capital might balk at that kind of long term uncertain
return, but for a state fund aiming for national
transformation, it makes sense. Look at the 2034 World Cup prep
in Saudi Arabia. What are they planning?
They're. Not just polishing up old
venues, they're building 11 brand new stadiums.
state-of-the-art, plus renovating for existing ones.
That's immense infrastructure investment.
(04:41):
And is this focused solely on football football given the
World Cup, or is it broader? It's definitely broader.
Football is the flagship for sure, but the goal is a diverse
sports ecosystem. OK, Look at the UAE for example.
They're investing heavily in specialized facilities.
They're building their first proper indoor velodrome for
cycling. For year round cycling
presumably given the climate. Exactly.
(05:02):
And get this, They're also building the world's largest
wave pool. A wave pool for surfing and
water sports. Precisely targeting those
emerging sports, extreme athletics, it shows a desire to
attract all kinds of global events, not just the traditional
ones. They want to pioneer new
markets, leverage their infrastructure.
It's smart diversification within the sports sector itself.
(05:23):
It is build the facilities, attract the events, grow the
local participation. But all this investment, all
these shiny new venues, it only works if people actually show
up, right? If there's an audience for it.
Absolutely crucial, and that's where the region has a pretty
unique demographic advantage. Young population.
Incredibly young and very tech savvy.
(05:44):
Get the statistic 50% of the entire GCC population is under
25 years old. Half the population under 25.
Wow. Think about what that means for
consumption habits, for adoptingnew trends.
This is a digitally native generation.
And are they embracing these newsports opportunities?
Massively, you see the rapid rise in popularity of sports
like padel. Which is huge now, yeah.
(06:05):
Everywhere and also MMA, mixed martial arts.
It really resonates with that younger demographic and fits
into the global combat sports boom.
So new sports are taking root. What about the established ones
like football? Has the investment translated
into fan engagement there? Oh definitely.
You can see a direct impact. That strategy of bringing in
(06:28):
high profile international superstars to the local leagues,
it's worked. How?
So in Saudi Arabia, live attendance at football matches
has essentially doubled, doubledin a very short space of time.
And you attribute that directly to the big name signings.
It's heavily fueled by it. Yes, players like Ronaldo,
Neymar, Benzema, they bring global eyeballs, sure, but they
(06:50):
also significantly lift the quality of the league.
Fans respond to that. They come out because the
product on the pitch is visibly better, more exciting.
So the investment creates a better product, which drives
engagement, which then justifiesmore investment, A virtuous
cycle. That's the model they're aiming
for, absolutely. OK.
So this combination of massive capital, superstar talent,
state-of-the-art infrastructure,it sets the stage perfectly for
(07:14):
our next section, doesn't it? It really does.
Because once you've spent, say, 100 million on a player or
billions on a league, you need to protect that investment.
You need to maximize performance.
You need the science, you need the data.
You can't just rely on gut feeling anymore.
Not at this level. Which brings us squarely into
the data revolution Performance analysis, or PA.
(07:34):
Let's unpack this, because it's way beyond just counting goals
in a system. Oh, Miles beyond PA is
absolutely fundamental to moderncoaching.
It's about objective measurement, taking the
guesswork out. So what kind of things are we
talking about? What's being tracked?
Everything basically complete versus incomplete passes, sure,
but also we're on the pitch. Interceptions happened, the
(07:55):
quality of shots on target, off target, expected goals even.
Plus all the physiological data,distance covered, Sprint speeds,
fatigue levels, it's granular. It sounds incredibly detailed.
Has this field just sprung up recently with technology?
Not entirely. I mean the roots go way back.
Surprisingly. You had figures like Charles
Reap in England in the 1950s hand tallying match events,
(08:17):
trying to find statistical patterns.
By hand. Wow.
Yeah, and later people like Valerie Lebodowski in the Soviet
Union in the 70s using early computer models for tactical
analysis in Ukrainian football. But it was basic compared to
now. So what was the real turning
point? What made it indispensable?
Technology, fundamentally the shift from subjective human
(08:39):
observation to objective, undeniable measurement.
Because coach is just miss things or biased.
Both, really. Research has shown that during a
fast-paced, chaotic 90 minute match, a coach might only
reliably recall about 30% of thekey actions. 30% that low?
Yeah. And that recall is often
filtered through their own biases, maybe focusing on
(08:59):
players they like or just remembering the big emotional
moments. Technology doesn't have biases.
So video analysis was the first big step.
It was a huge step becoming common from the 80s onwards.
Being able to rewatch plays, slow them down, tag specific
actions allowed for much deeper pattern recognition.
But the real game changer was tracking the players themselves.
Right? The GPS vests.
(09:20):
Exactly. Electronic performance and
tracking systems. EPTS things like GPS trackers,
which FIFA officially approved for use in matches back in 2015,
that unlocked a whole new level of data.
How do those EPTS systems actually work?
What are they capturing? It's usually a combination of
things. The GPS devices in the vests
worn by players triangulate their position thousands of
(09:42):
times a second, so you get precise location, speed,
acceleration, distance covered. And that's combined with
cameras. Often yes.
Multi camera systems track clearmovement across the entire
pitch. Combining the GPS data with the
video tracking gives you this incredibly rich real time
picture of everything happening.Heat map showing player
positioning, Sprint counts, fatigue indicators.
(10:04):
An objective record of effort and tactics.
Precisely undeniable data that informs training, tactics,
substitutions, everything. So the elite leagues in Europe
have obviously embraced this. And you're saying the GCC
nations with their resources areimplementing these systems
wholesale? They are.
They have the financial muscle to buy the best systems.
Hire the analysts and integratedfully into their clubs and
(10:25):
national teams. OK, but now let's introduce that
contrast you mentioned earlier. What about other regions like
Africa, which also has a deep football culture?
Right. And this is where you really see
what's often called the technological and digital
divide. It's quite stark.
So despite hosting the World Cupin 2010, for instance, South
Africa struggles with PA implementation.
(10:47):
Well, the World Cup definitely improved facilities, stadiums,
training grounds, that sort of thing, but sustained funding
specifically for performance analysis tools, software and
personnel that remains scarce inmany parts of the continent.
Is it purely a money issue or are there other barriers?
The money is a big part of it. Obviously these systems aren't
cheap, but it's more complex than just funding.
(11:08):
It's also about having organizedinstitutions, reliable
technological infrastructure, and, importantly, enough
educated people analysts who know how to use the tools
effectively. You mentioned potential
misallocation of funds too. Yeah, there was one analysis
pointing out that sometimes in certain African football
contexts, money that could go towards essential analysis tools
(11:30):
might get diverted elsewhere, maybe to, you know, unnecessary
luxuries for club owners or inflated wages for squad players
who don't contribute much. It's a systemic challenge.
Infrastructure challenges too, like reliable Internet or power
for data. As protocols, the ability to
(11:52):
process large data streams reliably, these things require
stable infrastructure that mightnot always be present.
So it's a multifaceted problem. If institutional funding is
lacking, how is the skills gap being addressed?
Are people getting trained? This is where private companies
are often stepping in big international PA providers like
Prozone or Dartfish. They've set up shop in places
(12:14):
like South Africa. And they're just selling
software. They're doing more than that.
They're actively running courses, offering
certifications, training local analysts on how to use their
specific software, how to standardize tagging, like what
specific actions to look for andrecord in the video, and
crucially, how to turn all that raw data into reports that a
(12:35):
coach can actually understand and use quickly.
Building local capacity, that seems vital.
It is because even if you have the tech, you need the human
expertise to make it meaningful.But you also hinted at another
hurdle, cultural resistance, coaches not wanting to use this
stuff. Yes, that's definitely a real
factor in various places, including parts of Africa and
(12:55):
the Middle East, like Egypt for example.
And the resistance. It often comes from, let's say,
more experienced old school coaches.
Coaches who built their careers on intuition man management,
their eye for the game. And they see data as a threat.
Some do, yeah. They might feel it challenges
their authority, their expertise.
Or they might worry it makes their job feel less secure.
(13:17):
Less art, more science. We've heard accounts of coaches
literally blocking analysts withcameras from attending training
sessions. Seeing it as spying rather than
support. Exactly.
That kind of mindset really slows down adoption, even when
the benefits are clear. But surely not all coaches are
resistant. There must be proponents too.
Oh, absolutely. And increasingly, the successful
(13:39):
ones recognize PA is essential. There's a good example with Yab
Galal, a coach who had success with Mr. Alma Casa in Egypt.
What was his take? He was very public about saying
performance analysis is critical.
His logic was simple. The best teams abroad use it
constantly. If we want to compete
internationally or even just improve our own lead, we have to
(14:01):
adapt. It's becoming a non negotiable
part of modern football. A.
Professional necessity, right? Survival of the fittest,
technologically speaking. OK, so let's say a coach is on
board. They have the tech, they have
the analyst. What's the next challenge?
Getting the players to actually absorb the information.
That's $1,000,000 question, isn't it?
Communication How do you delivercomplex data insights
(14:22):
effectively to players, especially younger ones?
Who maybe have shorter attentionspans.
Studies suggest exactly that players, particularly the
younger generation, can get overwhelmed or just tune out if
you hit them with long, dry statistical reports or lengthy
video sessions. So brevity is key.
Absolutely paramount. Feedback sessions need to be
concise, focused. Ideally, team talks based on
(14:45):
analysis shouldn't run much longer than, say, 15 or 20
minutes. 15 minutes? That's short.
Some analysts in South Africa found they lost players
attention if feedback went over just 6 minutes. 6 minutes.
Wow. OK.
So how do you make an impact in such a short time?
You have to make it visual. The mantra is see rather than
hear meaning meaning. Less lecturing, more showing.
(15:06):
Use short, impactful video clipsthat illustrate the specific
point you're making. Use clear graphical
visualizations of the data. Heat maps, charts showing past
completion in certain zones, whatever visual evidence cut
through, it's much harder to argue with and it speeds up
learning. Makes sense.
Show, don't just tell. Exactly, and the ultimate goal,
which the top clubs are getting closer to, is integrating this
(15:28):
feedback almost live, the analyst feeding information
directly to the bench during thegame, allowing for immediate
tactical adjustments. Real time coaching informed by
data. That's the cutting edge, and
that leads us perfectly into thenext evolution, artificial
intelligence and deep learning, moving beyond just analyzing
(15:48):
what happened to predicting whatwill happen.
Right, this is where it gets really interesting, isn't it?
When the machines start not justobserving, but forecasting.
It's a fundamental leap from descriptive analytics to
predictive and even prescriptive, telling you what
you should do. And the Saudi Pro League, with
all that investment we talked about, they're jumping head
first into AI. They absolutely are.
They've significantly expanded their partnership with Stats
(16:10):
Perform, a major player in sports data.
They're integrating advanced Opta data and, crucially, Opta
AI solutions like Optivision. Optivision.
What does that do? Think of it as creating a super
detailed digital replica of the game in real time.
It takes all that raw data, player tracking on ball events
like passes and shots, fitness metrics from the EPTS vests, and
(16:32):
then applies AI models to generate predictive insights.
So every club in the Saudi top flight gets access to this?
Yes, complete player tracking, fitness data and these AI
powered predictive metrics. It levels the playing field,
technologically speaking, withinthe league.
And what's the main benefit? Better game analysis.
That's a big part of it, yes. Unparalleled insights for
(16:54):
coaches during and after matches.
But maybe even more significantly, it's transforming
their recruitment. How does AI help with signing
players? The System Off Division crunches
data from dozens of leagues around the world.
The AI models can then identify players who fit specific
tactical profiles, quantify traits that go beyond just
goals, or assist things like spatial awareness, decision
(17:16):
making under pressure, effectiveness in transition
moments. So they can scout
scientifically, finding players who match their system based on
data and not just reputation. Exactly, it allows them to make
much more informed, data-driven recruitment decisions, finding
undervalued talent, assessing suitability before spending huge
transfer fees. It's a massive potential
advantage in the global market. And this AI integration isn't
(17:39):
just for the teams, right? It impacts the fans, too.
Totally the same AI capabilitiesare used to power fan
engagement. They feed the official league
stats hubs Dr. Sophisticated fantasy football games create
those slick graphics and insights you see during
broadcasts. So it's enhancing the product on
the pitch and the experience forthe viewer.
It's a holistic approach. Use AI to improve the football
(18:01):
and use it to make the football more engaging and commercially
successful. Really smart.
Now, looking elsewhere in the region, you mentioned some
fascinating deep learning work coming out of Qatar,
specifically the Qatar Stars League QSL.
Yes, this is a really interesting research project.
Academics there developed a model they called Soccernet.
Soccernet and this was focused purely on predicting match
(18:24):
outcomes. Primarily, yes.
They use a specific type of deeplearning model called a Gated
Recurrent Unit or Gru. OK, Gru.
Why that specific type of model?What's special about it for
football? Well, Grus are really good at
handling sequential data. The data that unfolds overtime
and football is exactly that, isn't it?
(18:45):
What happens in the 50th minute depends on everything that came
before it. Momentum fatigue.
Tactical shifts. Exactly, GR user designed to
remember patterns and dependencies over time,
capturing that flow of the game much better than traditional
stats that just look at isolatedevents.
And they trained this Gru model on a lot of data.
A massive amount 10 full seasonsof detailed match and player
(19:06):
data from the QSL from around 2011 to 2022.
They broke down each match into 15 minute intervals to analyze
how the game dynamics changed. Ten seasons of data and what was
the result? How accurate was soccer net?
This is the remarkable part. The model achieved over 80%
accuracy in predicting match winners in the QSL. 80% in
football. That sounds incredibly high
(19:27):
given how unpredictable games can be.
It's an exceptional benchmark, especially for a professional
league in the many region. It was genuinely groundbreaking
work. But you said the real value
wasn't just the prediction itself, but the insights it
revealed. Exactly.
Predicting the winner is cool, but why the model made those
predictions is where the tactical gold lies.
(19:47):
It gave them two really significant aha moments about
the nature of football and guitar.
OK, let's hear them. What was the first big insight?
The first one was about the relative importance of different
playing positions. Soccernet found quite clearly
that the performance and actionsof defenders in the QSL had a
significantly more dominant impact on predicting the match
(20:09):
outcome. Than the actions of midfielders
or forwards. Defenders were more important
than attackers for predicting the winner.
That seems counterintuitive, right?
We usually focus on goal scores.It does seem counterintuitive if
you're thinking about, say, highscoring European leagues, but
the data was clear for the QSL context.
So what does that tell us about the style of play in the Qatar
Stars League? It strongly suggests that
(20:31):
matches there are often characterized by a more defense
oriented approach. Maybe teams focus more on solid
organization, avoiding mistakes,perhaps relying on counter
attacks or set pieces to win games rather than expansive
attacking football. So.
Preventing goals is statistically more valuable than
scoring them in that league. According to this model, yes,
(20:53):
the defender's ability to shut down the opposition was the
single biggest predictive factor.
How would a coach use that insight?
Does it mean just buy more defenders?
It means prioritizing defensive investment, certainly, but more
specifically it validates spending more training time on
defensive shape organization, practicing set piece defending,
ensuring the fitness and concentration of the backline
(21:15):
for the full 90 minutes. It tells you where your marginal
gains are most likely to come from in that specific
competitive environment. Fascinating.
OK. What was the second moment from
soccer now? You mentioned the time factor.
Yes, the second key finding was about when the game is decided.
The model showed that the final 15 to 30 minutes of a match had
a significantly greater impact on the final result than any
(21:37):
earlier period. So the end of the game matters
most. That feels intuitively right.
Games often get decided. Late, we all feel that, yes, but
Cybernet quantified it. It's statistically proved that
the closing stages are disproportionately critical in
the QSL. Conversely, the model found the
1st 15 minutes had the least impact on the eventual outcome.
(21:57):
Interesting. Least impact at the start, most
impact at the end. How is that actionable for
teams? It heavily underscores the
importance of several things. One, physical conditioning.
Players need to be able to perform at a high level
physically and mentally when fatigue kicks in during those
crucial final 30 minutes. So endurance training, sport
science focusing on late game performance.
(22:18):
Absolutely 2 Tactical substitutions become even more
critical, bringing on fresh legsor players who can change the
game in that key period. 3 Sychological preparation,
maintaining focus and executing under pressure when the game is
on the line. It tells coaches exactly where
to focus their resources for maximum impact on results.
Manage the end game well. Precisely, it validates huge
(22:42):
investment in the science and strategy around closing out
matches effectively. Incredible what these deep
learning models can reveal. So we've covered the massive
financial flows, the cutting edge tech from performance
tracking to predictive AI. Yeah, the hardware and the
software, essentially. But as we hinted at the
beginning, these huge shifts arehappening in a vacuum.
(23:03):
They're tied into broader societal changes, aren't they?
Intrinsically linked. You can't separate the economic
and technological transformationfrom the social context.
And a major part of that social context, especially in the
Middle East, is the changing role of women, particularly in
sports. It's one of the most visible and
potentially profound transformations underway, and
(23:23):
again, it's often explicitly linked to those national
strategies like Vision 20-30 in Saudi Arabia.
So Vision 2030 includes goals for gender equality and women in
sport. Yes, enhancing gender equality
is stated as a goal, and this involves efforts to, well,
redefine the status and participation of women across
society, including in sports. It's presented as a deliberate
(23:46):
top down initiative. Now, this is obviously a
positive development in many ways, but you also mentioned
there's a critical perspective on this, a potential tension.
There is, and it's important we acknowledge it impartially.
Some feminist critics and analysts are examining these
developments very closely. They raise the question, are
these changes genuinely driven by a desire for women's
emancipation and empowerment from within the society, or are
(24:10):
they potentially part of a broader strategy sometimes
termed gender washing? Gender washing meaning using
progress on women's rights for PR purposes.
Essentially, yes. The critique suggests that some
of these highly visible initiatives, like launching
women's leagues, funding female athletes, building women's
sports centers, might be motivated more by external
factors, things like improving the country's international
(24:32):
image, attracting investment, boosting tourism, using it as a
form of soft power. So presenting a modern face to
the world, potentially masking other issues.
That's the core of the critique,that it might be more about
international perception management than deep rooted
organic internal pressure for feminist change.
It's a complex debate with validpoints on both sides.
(24:54):
But regardless of the primary motivation, whether it's
internal change or external projection, the actual impact on
the ground seems undeniable, doesn't it?
Women are participating more. That's the crucial counter
argument, and it's very strong. Whatever the driver, the
tangible outcomes are significant.
The momentum is real. Look at Saudi Arabia again.
They now have over 500 dedicatedsports centers specifically for
(25:17):
women. 500 centers. That's a massive increase in
access. Huge.
It dramatically increases opportunities for physical
activity, for discovering talent, for elite training
pathways, and you see female football leagues expanding
rapidly. That alone represents a major
cultural shift and institutionalacceptance.
Is this growth reflected regionally as well in
competitions? It is.
(25:40):
Look at the Arab women's sports tournament AWST.
It's grown significantly and is now the largest event of its
kind in the region. What does an event like AWST
achieve? It provides A vital platform for
high level competition across many sports.
It creates visible role models for young girls.
It helps normalize the presence of women competing at an elite
(26:00):
level, both within their own countries and across the Arab
world. And how does the sports industry
itself view this? Is it seen purely as a social
good or is there a commercial aspect emerging?
Well, the commercial potential is now being seen as enormous.
The industry outlook is incredibly positive.
Really. What are executives saying?
Recent surveys show overwhelmingoptimism.
(26:22):
Something like 85% of sports industry executives in the
region expect significant revenue growth specifically from
women's sports, over the next five years 85.
Percent expect growth. That's huge confidence.
It signals that this isn't just being seen as fulfilling a
social quota anymore. It's viewed as a major untapped
commercial opportunity. That combination of societal
(26:42):
push and market pull makes it feel much more sustainable long
term. But for that commercial growth
to be fully realized, visibilityis key, right?
People need to be able to watch women's sports.
Absolutely. And historically, lower media
coverage has been a major barrier for women's sports
globally, not just in this region.
So what needs to happen to boostvisibility there?
(27:04):
To really accelerate growth, themedia coverage needs a strategic
uplift. That means high production
values, making the broadcasts look as good as men's sports and
crucially, multi platform distribution.
Going beyond just traditional TV.
Definitely reaching that young, tech savvy audience we talked
about earlier means being strongon digital platforms, streaming
(27:26):
services, social media, tailoring the content to help
people actually consume media today.
And focusing on stories, not just scores.
Yes. Moving beyond just reporting
results to actually building narratives, creating stars,
telling the stories of the athletes.
That's what builds sustained fandom and commercial value.
High quality storytelling is essential.
This has been such a fascinatingjourney through this
(27:47):
transformation. We've really covered a lot of.
Ground we really have. It's a complex picture.
We started with that mind boggling scale of investment,
didn't we? Highlighting that Saudi sports
market possibly hitting $22.4 billion by 2030.
Just incredible numbers. Driven by those national
visions, yeah. Then we drilled right down into
the tech performance analysis becoming standard, the
(28:09):
challenges in places like Africa, that digital divide.
And the cultural hurdle sometimes too.
Right. And then into the cutting edge,
the AI in the Saudi Pro League for recruitment and fan
engagement and that amazing soccer net model in Qatar.
Achieving over 80% prediction accuracy.
And telling us that defenders are the unsung heroes
statistically in the QSL and that the last 30 minutes are
(28:32):
where games are won or lost. Really specific insights.
Yeah, the power of deep learningapplied locally.
And finally, we connected it allto the social dimension, the
undeniable rise of women's sports, the access, the
competitions like AWST, but alsoacknowledging that critical
perspective, the questions around gender washing.
Crucial to see it all together. So pulling it all together,
(28:54):
what's the final synthesis? What's the main take away from
this deep dive? For me, it's the sheer
interconnectedness. You have this powerful drive for
economic diversification using sovereign wealth.
You have radical technological advancement with AI and data
science, and these are inseparable from deep social
changes, especially around gender participation and the
(29:15):
need to bridge that tech gap we saw in Africa.
It's all happening at once, feeding into each other.
A confluence of massive forces reshaping the region's place in
the world through sport. Exactly.
It's high speed, high stakes transformation.
OK, before we wrap up, you always leave us with a final
provocative thought, something for the listener to chew on.
Right. Well, we've talked a lot about
the speed and scale of the change, the money, the tech that
(29:37):
social shifts. But there's another layer we
touched on briefly. Sustainability.
Yes, the AI powered stadiums reducing energy use.
Precisely. It's all this massive
construction and investment. There's a stated strong focus on
building sustainably using technology like AI not just for
performance, but to optimize stadium operations.
(29:59):
Cut energy consumption figures like up to 40% reduction are
being targeted, making these huge venues more environmentally
responsible. So sustainability is being baked
in from the start, alongside thetech and investment.
That's the plan, at least on paper.
So the final thought for you, the listener, is this.
Given the sheer magnitude of everything we've discussed, the
(30:20):
economic restructuring, the technological leapfrogging, the
social evolution, and this commitment to sustainable
infrastructure, decades from now, what will we see as the
longest lasting legacy of this current transformation?
Will it be the diversified economies?
Perhaps. Or will it be the change social
fabric, particularly regarding women's roles?
Or could it be these pioneering models of huge yet sustainable
(30:43):
AI driven sports infrastructure that set a new global standard?
Which of these legacies will endure the longest and have the
most profound impact? Something to consider.
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