SURJ Sports Investments, the sporting arm of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), has launched a venue-based joint venture with Live Nation and the Oak View Group (OVG).
The JV, to be called radia, will act as an integrated venue-services provider, aimed at "supporting the full lifecycle of sports venues and precincts," across Saudi Arabia.
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The tie-up comes with Saudi Arabia set to host the 2034 edition of men's soccer's premier FIFA World Cup, for which 10 new stadiums are being constructed, with five existing venues to be renovated. These are being split between five locations – Riyadh (the capital city), Jeddah, Khobar, Neom, and Abha.
OVG is a sports and entertainment facilities development and management firm, while Live Nation is a multi-national events and ticketing company.
The joint venture will be led by Xavier Campbell, who becomes radia's first chief executive. Campbell, originally from Melbourne, Australia, has worked for SURJ since May 2024.
Before that, among other roles, he was also the chief executive of Essendon Football Club, of Aussie rules football's AFL, for close to nine months.
Radia will handle every part of venue management – including operations, activations, and other elements of commercialization.
There will be a focus on sustainable venue solutions and improved levels of fan experience, SURJ has claimed.
Saudi Arabia is also set to host the 2027 edition of soccer's AFC Asian Cup, which will share a number of stadia with the World Cup seven years later.
Danny Townsend, SURJ Sports Investment's chief executive, commented: "This partnership marks a defining milestone in both PIF and SURJ’s mission to build a future-ready sports sector in Saudi Arabia, one that delivers today while creating a lasting legacy for generations to come.
"Working alongside two of the world’s most respected industry leaders positions SURJ at the forefront of venue innovation and fan experience."
SURJ was created in mid-2023 as a PIF subsidiary, and amongst its most notable moves so far has been the purchase of a minority stake in sports-focused streaming service DAZN.
