Skip to content Skip to Search
Skip navigation

Baseball United to launch Saudi franchises

By Gavin Gibbon
Former Chicago Cubs player Andrelton Simmons, pictured here in 2022, is one of Baseball United's co-owners. The company will launch franchises in three Saudi cities USA Today Sports via Reuters Connect
Former Chicago Cubs player Andrelton Simmons, pictured here at bat in 2022, is one of Baseball United's co-owners. The company will launch franchises in three Saudi cities
  • New partnership agreed
  • Three new pro teams
  • 1.5m Saudi baseball fans

Professional baseball teams are to be launched in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam as part of plans by Baseball United to expand into Saudi Arabia.

Baseball United was unveiled in August last year with ambitious proposals to launch the first professional baseball league in the Middle East, focusing initially on matches in the UAE, then Qatar, with plans to enter Saudi Arabia in 2025.

It was announced this week that a partnership agreement has been struck between Baseball United and the Saudi Baseball and Softball Federation (SBSF).

Person, Electronics, Mobile Phone

Newsletter
Get the Best of AGBI delivered straight to your inbox every week

Baseball United will open a subsidiary in the kingdom and partner with the SBSF to promote baseball in the country, including talent development, curriculum design, coach/umpire training and overall marketing and promotion of the game.

“This is a massive milestone for our two organisations, a monumental day for baseball, and a huge win for baseball fans around the world,” said Kash Shaikh, president and majority owner of Baseball United.

Baseball United will work in tandem with SBSF to develop the national team with hopes of competing in the upcoming World Baseball Softball Confederation tournaments.

The venture is being funded by Shaikh and “a group of carefully selected entrepreneurs and baseball legends” from the US.

Baseball United was originally formed with the launch of four franchises: Dubai Wolves, Abu Dhabi Falcons, Mumbai Cobras and Karachi Monarchs. The quartet were due to play over a launch weekend in November, but this was subsequently cancelled and an all-star event was held over two days instead.

According to figures from Shaikh, there are 53 million baseball fans in India, 12.5 million in Pakistan, 1.5 million in Saudi Arabia and 800,000 in the UAE.

“Baseball United now has a foundational partner to help us expand the game into the Middle East’s largest country,” said Shaikh.

Latest articles

STC wants to consolidate the mobile tower market

STC approves PIF purchase of telecom company

Shareholders of Saudi telecom giant STC have approved plans to create a new telecommunications infrastructure company in which the Public Investment Fund will have a 51 percent stake valued at SAR8.7 billion ($2.3 billion).  Under the deal, the STC-owned Telecommunication Towers Co. Limited (Tawal) will become a PIF subsidiary through a merger with Golden Lattice […]

Flavio Cattaneo of Enel, of which Endesa is a subsidiary, and Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi at the signing of the deal

Masdar buys stake in Spanish utilities company Endesa

The UAE’s state-owned clean energy company Masdar has agreed to acquire a minority stake in Spanish electric utility business Endesa to partner for 2.5 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy assets in Spain. Under the agreement, subject to regulatory approval, Masdar will invest nearly $890 million to acquire a 49.99 percent stake in Endesa, with an […]

UAE markets Hong Kong

UAE capital markets partner with Hong Kong exchange

The Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKSE) has added the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) and the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) to its roster of recognised marketplaces. The move opens the door for UAE-based companies to pursue secondary listings on one of Asia’s premier financial markets. It also follows the inclusion of the Saudi Exchange (Tadawul) […]

Person, Worker, Adult

Aramco and PIF invest in Saudi-Chinese steel venture

Saudi Aramco and the Public Investment Fund have doubled their investment in a steel plate joint venture with a Chinese company to $500 million. The two Saudi companies each own 25 percent shares in the new venture in Ras Al Khair industrial city, Bloomberg reported, quoting a statement published on the Chinese stock exchange. Chinese […]