Newcastle United will travel to Saudi Arabia during the international break for warm-weather training. Some of their senior players will also be away with their national teams. The team has made similar trips in the past to Saudi Arabia, Dubai, and other locations to train during breaks in the Premier League season. In March 2022, they went to the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex in Dubai. This location had top-notch facilities, including gyms, pools, saunas, and cryo chambers. It also had football pitches and courts for other sports like squash, padel, and beach volleyball.
This time, however, Newcastle’s training camp will be different. They will be at Al-Nassr’s Al-Awwal Park Stadium in Riyadh, home to stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, and Aymeric Laporte. Al-Nassr’s stadium can hold 25,000 people. The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), which owns Newcastle United, also owns Al-Nassr and three other clubs in the Saudi Pro League. The stadium opened in 2015 after four years of construction and became Al-Nassr’s home in 2020. The PIF’s investment in the Saudi Pro League is part of a larger effort to improve the league and possibly host the 2034 World Cup.
Newcastle are not expected to play any friendly matches during their time in Saudi Arabia. The last time the team visited the country, in 2022, they won 5-0 against Al-Hilal. They also beat Steven Taylor’s Gulf United 5-0 in Dubai the same year. These trips have helped the team in the past, with Newcastle returning to Premier League action in strong form after each trip. Eddie Howe, the manager, will hope the same happens this time.
In October 2022, Eddie Howe defended the decision to take his team to the Middle East during the season. He said it was a footballing decision. The team needed a chance to train away from distractions and improve their team spirit. He believed warm weather training would help the players prepare for the rest of the season.
Howe will make use of the PIF-backed facilities during this training camp. The trip will give the team a chance to focus on football, away from the pressures of the Premier League. With a solid break and a few days of hard training, Howe hopes Newcastle will return stronger for the remainder of the season.
