Saudi Professional League
 | |
| Founded | 1976 |
|---|---|
| Country | Saudi Arabia |
| Confederation | AFC |
| Number of teams | 16 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | First Division |
| Domestic cup(s) |
King Cup |
| International cup(s) |
AFC Champions League UAFA Club Cup GCC Champions League |
| Current champions |
Al-Hilal (15th title) (2017–18) |
| Most championships | Al-Hilal (15 titles) |
| Most appearances | Hussein Abdulghani (428) |
| Top goalscorer | Majed Abdullah (189 goals) |
| TV partners | KSA Sports |
| Website | http://www.spl.com.sa |
 | |
The Saudi Professional League (Arabic: دوري المحترفين السعودي), is the top division of Association football league in Saudi Arabia.
The first season of the competition was held in 1976–77, in which it was won by Al-Hilal,[1] which is also the most successful team, holding 14 titles in its' history, and is the current title-holder (2017–18).
History
Up until the late seventies, football in Saudi Arabia was organized on a regional basis, with the only nationwide tournament being the King's Cup. In 1976 it was deemed that local football, and transportation links, have improved sufficiently to organize a national league. Hence the Saudi League was launched with 16 clubs participating, and only 8 of them surviving in the next season. This decision was made in order to decide who relegates to the first division, and who rightfully stays on the premier league.
In 1981 it was decided to increase the number of clubs and add a second division. The league competition for the 1981–82, known as the ranking league, featured 18 clubs with the top eight qualifying for the first division and the bottom ten to the new second division. The number of first division clubs was later increased to 12 in the 1984–85 season.
In 1990 it was decided to revamp local competitions and to introduce professional football. A new league championship was formed called "The Custodian of The Two Holy Mosques League Cup", which was a two-stage championship. The first stage was a regular double round-robin league competition with the top 4 qualifying to the final knockout stage, called the golden square. Clubs were allowed to sign players on a professional basis making the league semi professional.
In 2007 It was decided to split the two stages, with the league reverting to a standard double round-robin competition, and a new domestic competition cup competition formed called "The Custodian of The Two Holy Mosques Champions Cup". This cup will feature the top six finishers in the league plus the winners of the Crown Prince Cup and the Prince Faisal Cup. This format will take effect from the 2007–08 season onwards.
As of 2008, four teams from Saudi Arabia qualify for the AFC Champions League annually. This includes the top three teams of the AJL together with the winner of the King Cup. If the winner of the King Cup is also among the four top ALJ teams then the fourth best ALJ team qualifies to the extensions and if the winner of the King Cup is under the four top ALJ teams then the fourth team will not qualify and the third team will qualify for the extension.
Prize money:[2]
- First place: 3,800,000 Saudi Riyals
- Second place: 2,000,000 Saudi Riyals
- Third place: 1,000,000 Saudi Riyals
List of teams (2017–18 season)
- Note: Table lists in alphabetical order.
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Ahli | Jeddah | King Abdullah Sports City | 62,000 |
| Al-Batin | Hafar Al-Batin | Al-Batin Club Stadium | 6,000 |
| Al-Ettifaq | Dammam | Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium | 21,701 |
| Al-Faisaly | Harmah | King Salman Sport City Stadium | 5,200 |
| Al-Fateh | Al-Hasa | Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium | 19,096 |
| Al-Fayha | Al Majma'ah | King Salman Sport City Stadium | 5,200 |
| Al-Hilal | Riyadh | King Fahd International Stadium | 62,685 |
| Al-Ittihad | Jeddah | King Abdullah Sports City | 62,000 |
| Al-Nassr | Riyadh | King Fahd International Stadium | 62,685 |
| Al-Qadsiah | Khobar | Prince Saud bin Jalawi Stadium | 11,000 |
| Al-Raed | Buraidah | King Abdullah Sport City Stadium | 23,600 |
| Al-Shabab | Riyadh | King Fahd International Stadium | 62,685 |
| Al-Taawoun | Buraidah | King Abdullah Sport City Stadium | 23,600 |
| Ohod | Medina | Prince Mohammed bin Abdul Aziz Stadium | 24,000 |
1: ^ Al-Faisaly play their home games in Al-Majma'ah.
2: ^ Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr and Al-Shabab also use Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium (22,500 seats) as a home stadium.
List of champions
|
|
Performance by club
Most successful clubs
| # | Club | Winners | Runners-up | Winning Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Hilal | 1976–77, 1978–79, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1987–88, 1989–90, 1995–96, 1997–98, 2001–02, 2004–05, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2016–17, 2017–18 | ||
| 2 | Al-Ittihad | 1981–82, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2006–07, 2008–09 | ||
| 2 | Al-Nassr | 1979–80, 1980–81, 1988–89, 1993–94, 1994–95, 2013–14, 2014–15 | ||
| 4 | Al-Shabab | 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 2003–04, 2005–06, 2011–12 | ||
| 5 | Al-Ahli | 1977–78, 1983–84, 2015–16 | ||
| 6 | Al-Ettifaq | 1982–83, 1986–87 | ||
| 7 | Al-Fateh | 2012–13 |
Total titles won by city
| City | Number of titles | Clubs |
|---|---|---|
| Riyadh | Al-Hilal (15), Al-Nassr (7), Al-Shabab (6) | |
| Jeddah | Al-Ittihad (8), Al-Ahli (3) | |
| Dammam | Al-Ettifaq (2) | |
| Al-Hasa | Al-Fateh (1) |
Top scorers
See also
References
- ↑ FIFA.com. "Live Scores - Clubs: Al Hilalclub_hint=Al Hilal - FIFA.com".
- ↑ "لائحة المسابقات والبطولات بالإتحاد العربي السعودي لكرة القدم" [Regulations of Saudi Arabian Football Federation Competitions] (PDF) (in Arabic). Saudi Arabian Football Federation. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
External links
- Saudi Pro League Statistics
- Saudi Professional League Commission (in Arabic)
- Abdul Latif jameel League (in Arabic)
- Saudi Arabia Football Federation at FIFA.com
- Saudi Arabia - List of Champions at RSSSF.com
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