Ben Harburg: Fans 'absolutely essential' to Al Kholood rise | OneFootball

It’s now almost 12 months since the Harburg Group created history by becoming the first foreign-owned club in the Roshn Saudi League following their acquisition of Al Kholood.

And what a year it’s been, with the Ar Rass outfit not only securing a third straight season in the Saudi Arabian top flight, but writing their name once more in the record books when they reached a first King’s Cup final.

However, one of the most welcome developments has been Al Kholood’s deepening connection with the community and their fans - an initiative very much driven by owner Ben Harburg.

Just take, for example, last week’s confirmation of the club’s new logo, which was proposed by a supporter in another first in the RSL.

So, we caught up with Harburg to reflect on his first year at Al Kholood, and in particular, discuss how that bond between club and fan base has grown stronger during his time there.

How would you describe your first season at Al Kholood? 

“In vacuum, it was passing grade. We didn’t get relegated, had a nice run through the King’s Cup, and took over a club with a negative squad value and turned it significantly positive.

“But taking into account the challenges we faced and the emotional ride of building a club and fan base essentially from scratch, winning a King’s Cup semi-final at home...

"... and building a club both on and off the pitch in a very different manner to what has traditionally been seen in the Saudi league, the results were off the charts.

“I’m immensely proud and deeply grateful to our players, coaches, staff and, most importantly, fans for giving me one of the best experiences of my life.”

How important was that historic run to the King’s Cup final in terms of what you want to achieve long-term? 

“Very important for building our profile (for forward player recruitment, fan-base development, partnerships, etc) and validating for our model that preaches that you can spend a fraction of what the highest-spending club allocate yet go toe-to-toe with them.

“The story of making it to the final is etched in our club’s history and is reminded to me every time I meet a fan of the club or Saudi football in general. We could not have asked for a better indicator of our trajectory.”

Al Kholood players delight in shootout win v Al Ittihad to seal first-ever place in King's Cup final

How important have the fans been in your time there? 

“Absolutely essential. The positive feedback we’ve received from fans in person and online from around the Kingdom (and world) has created a virtuous cycle that pushes us to work harder every day to make them happy and proud. We would not have run as far nor as fast as we have without this encouragement.”

How do you feel that relationship has improved across the past 11 months or so? 

“We were certainly warmly welcomed, although there was a high degree of scepticism and criticism when we first took over the club. I think we were able to show we are a very different kind of club that anyone has experienced to date in the Kingdom.

“We're an inclusive, community-first club that listens to its fans, meets them in their territory, builds around their preferences, and makes everyone feel they have a seat at the table.”

Ben Harburg encourages fans' input in helping shape a better Al Kholood

What is the greatest indicator of that? 

“Our match attendance shattered all previous club records; online engagement and viewership placed us among the top five clubs in the Kingdom.

“We had over five billion views the last week of the season, overwhelming volumes of outreach [and] astounding constant flows of daily feedback from across the country.”

Al Kholood's support base has been put at forefront of club's thinking

What is the one fan-related moment that has resonated most with you and why? 

“Being in the stands with our fans during the King's Cup semi-final victory - easily the happiest football memory of my life and certainly among my top moments ever.

“I still cry every time I watch the video; just seeing the people lunging toward me to hug and celebrate will be etched in my memory forever. We don’t get many moments like that in a life.”