Al-Ahli Saudi Football Club (Arabic: النادي الأهلي السعودي, romanized: an-nādī al-ʿahlī as-saʿūdī, lit. 'Saudi National Club'), commonly known as Al-Ahli, is a Saudi professional football club based in Jeddah. It competes in the Saudi Pro league, the top tier of Saudi football. Al-Ahli has won 31 official championships.
The club was founded in 1937. Known as one of the most successful clubs in Saudi Arabia, domestically, Al-Ahli has won three Saudi Professional Leagues, and also holds the record of 13 Kings Cups, six Crown Prince Cups, one General League Shield, and one Super Cup. In international club football, they have won a record equal of 3 GCC Champions League and 1 Arab Club Championship. Al Ahli was the first Saudi club to win the league and the King's Cup in the same season, and has done so twice - in 1978 and 2016.
Al-Ahli was one of the four founding members of the Saudi Pro League and had never been relegated from the top flight until the 2021–22 season. The other three are Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad, and Al-Nassr.[2] Al-Ahli hold the record for the longest unbeaten run in the league with their 51-match unbeaten streak from 2014 to 2016.
Al-Ahli's home games are played at King Abdullah Sports City, also known as the shining jewel Stadium. The stadium, which is shared with long-lasting city rivals Al-Ittihad, is the second-largest stadium in Saudi Arabia, with a total capacity of approximately 63,000.
History
Founded in 1937 by four young men, the Al Ahli Club is located in the heart of Jeddah, and serves as a sports beacon. It's strategically located on Jeddahs largest street, Prince Mohammed bin Abdul Aziz Street. The idea of Al-Ahli was conceived by students in Al-Falah school. Al-Falah is the oldest school in the city of Jeddah.
Prince Khalid bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, chairman of the Honorary Members and Honorary Members of the club throughout its history, became a manager of the club while it was headed by Abdul Aziz Al Anqari. This was a historic day in Al Ahli Saudi FC's history, especially for Al Ahlawy, Al-Ahli's ultras. This was considered an honor, and happened shortly after the coach's unique achievement in the same year, 2008. He achieved four foreign championships with the handball team that won the Asian Club League Handball Championship.
The former Brazilian coach, Telê Santana coached Al-Ahli from 1983 to 1985 and won two titles, the League in 1984 and the King Cup in 1983. Al-Ahli has played in eighteen King Cup finals. They've won thirteen of them and came runners up five times.
Shield of Sports Excellence and the title of ambassador of the homeland
In 2009, the club celebrated 75 years of historical achievements. On 3 July 2009, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz received the heads and members of the honor of the club and its board of directors, on the occasion of Al-Ahli winning four International titles in 2008. The club was awarded the highest honor; it was presented with the shield of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for sports excellence, and the title "Ambassador of the Homeland".
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^"Al-Ahli relegated for the first time in history". Saudigazette. 28 June 2022. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
^Al-Ahli Saudi FC Official Account (18 November 2022). "Official Documentation of Al-Ahli's Championships". X Social media platform. (previously known as Twitter). Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
^ a b c d e f g"List of Cup Winners -". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 3 August 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
^"The tweet of the official Al-Ahli club account via Twitter, in which the number of Saudi professional league and the date of each season was mentioned". Twitter (in Arabic). 18 November 2022. Archived from the original on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
^"List of Cup Winners - International Friendship Tournament". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 25 December 2022. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
^"الفريق الأول" [First team]. Al Ahli Saudi FC. Archived from the original on 21 September 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
^"الصربي فلادان ميلويفيتش مدرباً للفريق الأول لكرة القدم". Archived from the original on 7 September 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
^"مجلس إدارة النادي #الأهلي الذي تمت تزكيته من الجمعية العمومية". Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2020.