Leejam Sports Company, Saudi Arabia’s leading network of sports and fitness centers and a publicly listed company, and SURJ Sports Investment, the Kingdom’s leading sports investment company, today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to accelerate growth and innovation across the Kingdom’s dynamic sports ecosystem, particularly in fitness and community engagement.
Signed by Abdulelah Al-Nemr, CEO of Leejam Sports Company, and Danny Townsend, CEO of SURJ Sports Investment, the agreement reflects a shared ambition to elevate sports participation, scale innovation, and expand access to world-class fitness experiences, and activate new models of community engagement and wellness innovation in line with Saudi Vision 2030 goals to build a more active, inclusive, and healthier society.
The agreement outlines a broad framework for collaboration across six key areas: stadia and fitness facility operations, co-investment in sports properties, sponsorship and brand engagement, community activation and mass participation, data and technology integration, and co-creation of content and media production.
Abdulelah Al-Nemr, Board Member and CEO of Leejam Sports Company, said: “This MoU marks a pivotal step in Leejam’s journey to further solidify our role as a catalyst for Saudi’s wellness transformation. Partnering with SURJ aligns with our strategic vision to foster active lifestyles, deliver value for shareholders, and contribute meaningfully to the Kingdom’s socioeconomic goals. We look forward to harnessing our national footprint and digital platforms to scale this collaboration across communities and sports disciplines.”
Danny Townsend, CEO of SURJ Sports Investment, said: “Leejam’s scale and expertise in fitness and wellness make them a natural partner as we continue to grow Saudi Arabia’s sports ecosystem. This MoU reflects our shared commitment to participation, performance, and innovation, and to unlocking opportunities that go beyond traditional investment models. From stadiums to digital assets, and from community challenges to elite content, we’re excited to explore how we can bring the power of sport closer to more people across the country.”
As Saudi Arabia’s largest and most trusted network of fitness centers, operating under the “Fitness Time” brand, Leejam brings unparalleled market reach and operational capabilities. Through this partnership, Leejam will assess opportunities to operate or support fitness and wellness zones within SURJ-backed facilities, and to activate programming aligned with SURJ’s investments in major sports events and leagues. The MoU also covers exploratory co-investment models in sports IP, as well as leveraging Leejam’s national footprint to scale SURJ-led activations and co-host fitness activations that promote grassroots participation in SURJ priority sports.
Additional areas of focus in the MoU include sponsorship engagement opportunities, ranging from access to Leejam facilities and athlete visibility within gym environments to joint sports promotion campaigns and sponsorship for SURJ-owned IP.
A core pillar of the partnership includes data and technology collaboration, enabling both entities to share insights on performance metrics, gym technologies, and digital engagement tools, as well as co-development of short-form and live fitness content across platforms.
This announcement comes at a time of rapid progress for Saudi Arabia’s sports sector. Nearly 50% of Saudis are now engaged in weekly physical activity, up from just 13% in 2015, while the number of multi-sport clubs has surged from 9 to 126, and sports federations have tripled to reach 98.
Women’s participation in sport in Saudi Arabia has seen extraordinary growth, with a 149% increase since 2015 and more than 330,000 registered female athletes today.
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