Al-Qadsiah Saudi Women's Football Club, commonly known as Al Qadsiah Ladies (Arabic: سيدات القادسية), is a Saudi women's football team based in Khobar that plays in the Saudi Women's Premier League, the top-level women's football league in Saudi Arabia, following promotion in the 2022–23 season.
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| Full name | Al-Qadsiah Saudi Women's Football Club | |||
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| Nickname(s) | Faresat Al Sharqiya (Knight of the East) Fakhr Al Sharqiya (Pride of the Eastern Province) | |||
| Founded | 2019 | |||
| Ground | Prince Saud bin Jalawi Stadium Khobar | |||
| Capacity | 11,000 | |||
| President | Saudi Aramco | |||
| Head coach |  Luís Andrade | |||
| League | Saudi Women's Premier League | |||
| 2023–24 | SWPL, 4th of 8 | |||
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It is the women's team of football club Al Qadsiah. They have finished second in the inaugural Saudi Women's Division 1 which led to their promotion to the Premier League for the 2023–24 season.
History edit
Al Mutahed era: (2019–2023) edit
Following the women's football rise in Saudi Arabia, the club was Founded in 2019 as Al Mutahed Women's Football Club, Compiling a squad replete with several Saudi players and a distinctly Bahraini flavor, they entered the first season of the Saudi Women's First Division League, drawn into the Eastern Province's group, Al Mutahed topped the group with 14 points and advanced to the knockout stage.[1] The team progressed to the finals four after securing a 2–0 victory against Al Hmmah FC. In the subsequent semi-final, they triumphed over Jeddah Pride with a 1–0 win. Demonstrating a historic unbeaten run, the team advanced to the final of the first division without a single defeat. In the contested final against Al-Riyadh, the match concluded in a 1–1 draw after both full-time and extra time. However, they narrowly lost 2–1 in the penalty shootout, ultimately finishing in second place.[2][3]
After Al-Shabab acquired Al-Yamamah, the latter spot in the premier league was given to Al Mutahed, First division runners-up to compete in the top-level women's football league in the country.[4]
Al Qadsiah acquisition and its aftermath: (2023–present) edit
In August 2023, it was announced that Al Qadsiah FC has acquired the club to compete in the next season of the Saudi Premier League.[5] A few days later, the former Greek player, Katerina Falida, took the role of the team's Technical Director. Eager to make a strong impression in their debut, Al Qadsiah appointed the former coach of Brazil's Flamengo and Portugal's Benfica, Luís Andrade, to oversee the senior team. As an experienced coach with numerous titles, his leadership resulted in significant signings shortly thereafter, including Rayanne Machado, Zaneta Wyne, Lindsey Harris, and Jessica Aby.[6] Since their debut on October 13, 2023, Al Qadsiah has been unbeaten in all five first games of the season till they felt to one-nil loss to the champions Al-Nassr in matchday six.
Competing in the inaugural edition of the SAFF Women's Cup, Al Qadisah demonstrated their prowess. They began their journey with a dominant 7–0 victory in the round of 16. Advancing to the quarterfinals, they secured a 3–0 win against Eastern Flames. However, their quest for the title was halted in the semifinals, where they narrowly lost 2–3 to Al Ahli. Despite this setback, Al Qadisah bounced back in the bronze medal match, triumphing over Al-Ittihad with a 5–4 victory in the penalty shootout.[7][8]
Players edit
Current squad edit
- As of 18 November 2023
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Former players edit
Coaching and management staff edit
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Team Manager |  Ahmed Al-Khamas
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| Head coach | Luís Andrade
|
| Assistant coach | Jana Mohammed
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| Goalkeeping coach |  Vaggelis Lappas
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| Video analyst | Alexandros Rentzis
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| Technical director | Katerina Falida
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Last updated: 23 November 2023
Source: Al Qadsiah [9]
Records and statistics edit
Competition record edit
Al Qadsiah's performance over their completed seasons:
| Season | Div. | pos. | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Season Top Scorer | Saudi Women's Cup pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | 2D | 2nd | 8 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 3 | Unknown | N/A |
| 2023–24 | 1D | 4th | 12 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 7 |  Zaneta Wyne (4 goals) |
3rd |
| The 2023–24 season statistics are current as of March 28; the season is still ongoing. | ||||||||||
Managerial statistics edit
As of match played 28 March 2024. Only competitive matches are included.
| Name | Nat. | From | To | Pld | W | D | L | Win% | Honors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luís Andrade | POR |
8 September 2023 | Present | 16 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 43.75% |  2023–24 SAFF Women's Cup
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Honours edit
- Saudi Women's First Division League:
- Runners-up (1): 2022–23
- SAFF Women's Cup:
- Third place (1): 2023–24
References edit
- ^ "The results of the draw for the knockout stage of the Saudi Women's First Division League". kooora.com (in Arabic). Riyan Al Jidani. 4 January 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
- ^ "The completion of both sides of the Saudi Women's First Division League final". kooora.com (in Arabic). Riyan Al Jidani. 5 February 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
- ^ "The Riyadh Women's Team Secures the Title of the Saudi Women's First Division League". aawsat.com (in Arabic). 9 February 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
- ^ "Al-Shabab Takes Over 'Al-Yamamah Ladies'... and Al-Mutahid's Promotion to the Premier League". aawsat.com (in Arabic). 13 April 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
- ^ "Al-Qadsiah FC acquire Al-Mutahid Women's Team". slaati.com (in Arabic). 9 August 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
- ^ "Saudi women's football to 'emulate' Cristiano Ronaldo's influence". theportugalnews.com. 19 November 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
- ^ "القادسية يحصد برونزية كأس السعودية للسيدات" [Al Qadsiah clinch SAFF women's cup bronze medal]. gate.ahram.org (in Arabic). 28 March 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ "القادسية يحسم المركز الثالث في كأس الإتحاد السعودي للسيدات" [Al Qadsiah secures third place in the SAFF Women's Cup.]. dmcfoot.com (in Arabic). 28 March 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ "Jana Mohamed joins the coaching staff of Al-Qadsiah Women's Team" (in Arabic). 25 August 2023.