Fifa has announced the creation of a partnership with a Saudi Arabian government agency, with up to $1bn (762m) being pledged to fund the development of football infrastructure across the globe. The game's global governing body announced on Monday that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Saudi Fund for Development that would lead to it offering discounted loans for the construction and rehabilitation of stadiums and other infrastructure.
Yet, recent changes to national planning policy could unlock new potential avenues for tracking down land; specifically, alterations made to the policy around brownfield sites. In 2024, the government pledged its support for the development of brownfield land - that is, land that's previously been developed for another, usually industrial, purpose. It also released £68 million's worth of funding to select local authorities to help clear empty buildings, former carparks and industrial land for house building, including self and custom build.
This means, and our data clearly shows this, that we need to make every dollar count. We've got to make sure that the money really hits the ground in the most effective way possible and that we leverage it as much as possible to draw in additional private resources.