‘We’re putting our foot on the gas now’: No slowing down for Harburg and Al-Kholood after roller coaster season

With the Saudi Pro League offseason now upon us, you might think that Al-Kholood owner Ben Harburg would take the opportunity to put his feet up after a relentless past 12 months that saw him take over and overhaul the Saudi minnow.

You might even think he would bask in the glow of making the King’s Cup final, a feat that put his small club from the small city of Ar Rass on the global map.

But to think that would be to underestimate the internal drive that motivates the US businessman every single day. You don’t become as successful as Harburg by slowing down and looking back.

Speaking to Arab News at the end of a long and evidently tiring season, Harburg explained that far from slowing down, the offseason will see him step it up a gear in his pursuit to revolutionize the club and, in return, the game in Saudi Arabia.

“No, I feel energized,” he said.

“I wish the season wasn’t ending, actually. I mean, it was emotionally a bit of a roller coaster on the pitch, but almost everything else off the pitch has been going phenomenally well, and the spotlight is only increasing, and the stage for us is increasing, and the interest in the club is increasing

“So, we’re putting our foot on the gas now. We’re going to keep producing content all summer to stay relevant, even while things get quieter. We’ll be doing things with the World Cup, we’ll be doing things with the Saudi national team, we’ll be producing some of our own content and shows and things like that, and then putting a huge amount of time and energy into the offseason again on the infrastructure side and human capital side, and on the coaching staff, and then on the pitch.

“So, if anything, the work is going to increase, but for me, as I’ve said from the