RIYADH — Turki Al-Sheikh, Chairman of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, announced on Friday a significant development project for "Kingdom Arena," where Al-Hilal plays its matches. He noted that the project would be ready for handover within 90 days of the club's approval. On his social media account, Al-Sheikh said: "We are ready to implement this development now. The stadium's capacity is 18,800 seats, with around 1,200 additional seats allocated for filming and logistics, not available for the audience." He added: "With the new development, we will reach 26,700 seats ready for the audience to watch in the highest quality, along with 14 VIP boxes on the opposite side." Al-Sheikh also mentioned an innovative Saudi technology that could provide an ideal solution for the "priority for events" agreement between Riyadh Season and Al-Hilal. He said: "This technology will be used for the first time in world stadiums. It involves columns planted under the stadium's surface, which emerge when the field is covered with aluminum panels equipped with lighting, nutrition, and ventilation technology without affecting the field. This allows for the facility to be rotated within 48 hours instead of 10 days, making it easier for us and Al-Hilal to use with minimal conflict. The patent for this technology will be registered with international football federations." He also clarified: "It is not true that the stadium rent is SR40 million. While we do collect SR40 million, Al-Hilal only pays SR15 million, with Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal covering SR25 million for the naming rights of 'Kingdom Arena.' Al-Hilal's revenue has increased significantly with successful partnerships during Riyadh Season and Riyadh Calendar."
