Riyadh-headquartered TSC announces GCC partnership with global sports data leader 4GLOBAL, expanding its data and AI-powered advisory offer across infrastructure planning, participation growth, and impact measurement.
Riyadh, 20th April 2026 — The Sports Consultancy (TSC), the Riyadh-headquartered sports management consultancy, today announced a GCC-wide partnership with 4GLOBAL, the global leader in sports data, demand modelling, and participation intelligence.
The partnership was formalised at the Sports Investment Forum (SIF) in Riyadh and marks a significant expansion of TSC’s data and AI capabilities — bringing together world-class sports intelligence, econometric impact measurement, and strategic advisory under one regional platform, built and delivered from the Kingdom.
A Region at an Inflection Point
The numbers alone tell a striking story. Saudi Arabia’s sports market has grown from $1.3 billion in 2016 to $8.5 billion today, with projections reaching $22.4 billion by 2030 — a figure that would place the Kingdom among the world’s leading sports economies. The participation rates have risen from 13% of the population in 2015 to 50% today, and over 100 major international events have been hosted across 40 sports since 2019. The infrastructure investment pipeline is equally significant, with $2.7 billion committed to facility development and renovation by 2028.
The scale of what is being built — and the pace at which it is being built — is without precedent in the region’s history.
For TSC, this investment environment represents both an opportunity and a responsibility. TSC’s commercial and strategic advisory — spanning feasibility, venue commercialisation, operator procurement, and event strategy — has always been grounded in rigorous analysis. The partnership with 4GLOBAL will now take that advisory to a new level, embedding world leading data intelligence at every stage of the decision-making process. This unique combination of expertise and proprietary data will enhance the our services and provide unparalleled levels of insight for partners across the region.
Three Capabilities. One Mission.
Infrastructure and Demand Planning
Giga-projects, development authorities, and investors building sports and mixed-use destinations need to know where demand exists, what facilities will be used, and how to structure commercial models that work. Through 4GLOBAL’s proprietary demand modelling platform — proven to 96% accuracy globally and driven by a global database of over 8bn datapoints— TSC can now provide GCC clients with the same evidence base that has guided investment decisions in leading sports cities worldwide.
Participation and Federation Strategy
Increasing mass participation is not just a social objective — it is a commercial and reputational one. Federations and governments need to understand where their audiences are, what barriers exist, and which interventions will move the dial. 4GLOBAL’s participation mapping and benchmarking capabilities, now available through TSC in the GCC, provide that evidence base at city, national, and regional scale.
Major Event Legacy & Impact
Every major event in the region needs to demonstrate its value — to leadership, to sponsors, to tourism authorities, and to the next bid committee. TSC’s Event Impact platform, already deployed for leading Saudi and UAE organisations, integrates economic, social, commercial, and reputational measurement into a single real-time intelligence tool. The Event Impact enables rights holders, governments, and cities to move beyond post-event reports and make smarter decisions across their entire events portfolio — before, during, and after delivery.
Built Here, for the Region
TSC is headquartered in Riyadh as a recognised Regional Headquarters (RHQ) company, with deep experience advising governments, federations, and major projects across the GCC. The 4GLOBAL partnership deepens that commitment — bringing permanent, regionally embedded data capability to a market that has historically relied on international consultants without sustained local presence.
“The GCC has demanded increasing levels of insight-led expertise as governments and investors build major event, infrastructure, and sports IP portfolios of extraordinary scale and ambition. TSC has been at the centre of that work — advising on commercial frameworks, feasibility, and legacy across Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar. Our partnership with 4GLOBAL now gives us something we have long needed: the world’s most comprehensive sports participation and demand intelligence, embedded directly into our advisory. Together, we can ensure that the facilities being built, the programmes being designed, and the events being hosted in this region don’t just happen — they deliver”
Angus Buchanan, Co-Founder & CEO, The Sports Consultancy (TSC)
“4GLOBAL has spent two decades helping cities plan facilities communities actually use, supporting federations in growing participation, and working alongside organising committees at nine Olympic and major international games to maximise their legacy. In every case, the difference between ambition and measurable outcomes has been data. The GCC is now one of the most significant sports investment environments in the world — and partnering with TSC gives our intelligence the crucial strategic and commercial layer it needs to translate into real decisions, on the ground, in the region.”
Jack Shakespeare, Managing Director – UK, EU, GCC – 4GLOBAL About TSC
The Sports Consultancy (TSC) is a Riyadh-headquartered sports management consultancy advising governments, federations, development authorities, and major event organisers across the GCC and globally. TSC’s services span feasibility and commercialisation strategy, operator procurement, event impact measurement, and data and AI-powered sports intelligence. TSC is the developer of EventAIQ, the region’s leading event impact measurement platform. thesportsconsultancy.com
About 4GLOBAL
4GLOBAL is a data, services, and software company focused on sports participation, facility planning, and major event intelligence. With a proprietary DataHub tracking over one billion visits across 2,500+ facilities, and a track record spanning 35+ major events including the Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup, and Pan American Games, 4GLOBAL provides governments, cities, federations, and investors with the evidence base to make better decisions in sport. 4GLOBAL.com
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Rasha Shrief
The Sports Consultancy (TSC)