Newcastle United confirm new commercial partnership with major Saudi Arabia company

Newcastle have partnered with Saudi Arabia’s national flag carrier airline SAUDIA ahead of the club's trip to the Gulf state for a warm-weather training camp next month.

The Magpies squad, excluding players representing their countries at the 2022 World Cup in nearby Qatar, will travel to the Saudi capital Riyadh where they will face Pro League champions Al-Hilal.

SAUDIA will be the club’s official tour airline partner for the trip with a chartered flight from Newcastle included as part of the partnership.

Discussing the new partnership, Newcastle’s new chief commercial officer Peter Silverstone said: “Whilst Newcastle United is on an exciting and ambitious journey to grow our global reach and fanbase, we are also very focussed on growing our fan base and following in Saudi Arabia and the

rest of the Middle East.

“Our ambition is to become the most supported English Premier League football team in Saudi Arabia; a country whose population includes a large, young, passionate and highly engaged football community.

“We are delighted to partner with SAUDIA as our official tour airline partner, and we look forward to working with them during our trip to Riyadh and for the remainder of the 2022/23 English Premier League Season”.

Khaled Tash, SAUDIA Group chief marketing officer, added: “We are committed to bringing the world to Saudi Arabia, and this includes partnering with global sporting giants to further evolve our landscape.

“We hope to form a cultural bridge between Saudi Arabia and the world as we believe our culture has the potential to transcend borders, whereby we inspire and connect with guests from around the world in new and meaningful ways.”

SAUDIA is an airline which connects travellers from over 100 worldwide destinations to Saudi Arabia via its hub at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and other key terminals around Saudi Arabia.

The company is owned by the Saudi Arabian government and had a presence at Newcastle’s most recent match at St James’s Park against Chelsea with logos displayed on the advertising boards surrounding the pitch. The Magpies won the match 1-0.