The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) has launched a wide-ranging project to raise standards at club academies in the Saudi Pro League and the first and second divisions, with the aim of building a lasting pathway for elite talent.

The plan was presented yesterday at a club forum in Riyadh attended by SAFF Secretary-General Majed Alsahib, SAFF Football Executive Director Matt Crocker, FIFA High-Performance and Talent Development Specialist Philippe Senderos and representatives of the 68 clubs taking part. Alsahib spoke about academies' role in widening the national talent pool, Crocker set out the strategic direction and workstreams, and Senderos stressed FIFA's backing for sustainable long-term talent systems.

SAFF's partner is Double Pass, a Belgian academy development consultancy that has worked with associations in England, Germany, Italy and Japan. Using international benchmarks and standard assessments, the project covers talent identification, routes into first teams, the sporting environment, infrastructure, staff skills, digital analytics and governance.

Three evaluation cycles will run up to 2030. The first, in the 2026/2027 season, will assess all 68 academies to set a baseline and produce tailored development plans. Later cycles will measure progress, with financial and operational incentives tied to output and transfer income, in order to raise the sporting and market value of homegrown players.