London-based consultancy Threshold Sports has been appointed to develop a new strategy to help enhance the performance of Saudi Arabia's national football team.

Gerard Houllier, former Aston Villa and Liverpool manager and French Football Federation technical director, will work alongside the company to draw up the new 'blueprint'. Ex-Liverpool CEO Rick Parry will also assist in the strategy's composition, which is set to cover plans to promote mass participation at grassroots level, as well as elite development.

It is hoped that the strategy will help implement a structure to identify and nurture new talent in order to enhance Saudi Arabia's national team and national league structure. Threshold Sports co-founder Charlie Beauchamp said: "We have been advising on the commercial and sponsorship structure of Saudi Arabia's premier league - Zain Saudi Professional League - as well as devising a blueprint to encourage wider participation.

"This activity includes setting in place a training and coaching programme to identify and develop up and coming talent. The blueprint has been positively received and we will offer further consultation as it is rolled out."