Al-Ahli Saudi Women Football Club (Arabic: النادي الأهلي السعودي لسيدات, romanized: an-nādī al-ʿahlī as-saʿūdī li-sāyīdāt), or known simply as Al-Ahli Ladies, is a women's football club based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It was established in 2022 as the women's section of the homonymous club, following an acquisition of the sporting license of Miras Women Football Club.
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| Full name | Al-Ahli Saudi Women Football Club | |||
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| Nickname(s) | Al-Malaki (The Royal) Maeqil Al'Aswad (Lionesses Stronghold) Al-Raqi (The Classy) | |||
| Short name | Al-Ahli Ladies | |||
| Founded | 2019 as Miras Jeddah Club October 6 2022 as Al–Ahli Saudi Women's Football Club | |||
| Ground | King Abdullah Sports City | |||
| Capacity | 62,346 | |||
| Owner | Public Investment Fund (75%) Al-Ahli Non-Profit Foundation (25%) | |||
| Chairman | Khalid Al-Essa Al-Ghamdi | |||
| Head coach |  Manar Fraij | |||
| League | Saudi Women's Premier League | |||
| 2023–24 | SWPL, 2nd of 8 | |||
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The team compete in the Saudi Women's Premier League, the top flight in Saudi national football, since its debut in the inaugural 2022–23.
History edit
Formation (2022) edit
On October 6, 2022, it was announced by Saudi Arabian Football Federation that Al-Ahli officially completed its acquisition of Miras Jeddah Club, a club from the Women's Premier League 2022–2023 season. as They joined the list of professional sports clubs participating in the Women's Premier League alongside Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr, and Al-Ittihad.[1][2]
Revamp: Key signings and season turnaround (2022–present) edit
Following the intention of Saudi Arabian Football Federation to promote and professionalize the women's football league. Al-Ahli announced the appointment of Jordanian coach Manar Fraij to manage the team, an ex-international player and former coach of the Jordanian women's youth national team.[3] Al-Ahli later announced the signings of five international players from the North African region, namely Algerian Abla Bensenouci and Tunisian quartet Salima Jobrani, Sana Yaakoubi, Yasmine Jemai and Aya Jeddi.[4]
after the conclusion of 2022 CAF Women's Champions League season, Al-Ahli went on to sign the top-scorer of the tournament ASFAR and Morocco women's national team forwards Ibtissam Jraïdi which was described as the major money deal and the largest in the continents (Africa and Asia) for a women's football player transfer.[5] Jraïdi's signing played a pivotal role in the team's turnaround from a challenging first half of the season, where Al-Ahli secured only two wins out of seven matches. With Jraïdi on board, the team achieved three wins, one draw, and narrowly lost matches, ultimately securing a 6th position out of 8. Jraïdi also emerged as the runner-up in the top scorers' list.[6]
As the 2023–24 season commenced, Al-Ahli gained confidence and set their sights on winning the league. Notable signings included Ghanaian striker Alice Kusi, Jordanian goalkeeper Rwand Kassab, and defender Ayah Al-Majali, aimed at fortifying the team.[7]
Taking part in the debut edition of the 2023–24 SAFF Women's Cup, Al-Ahli displayed utter dominance. They began by overpowering Al Bayraq with a resounding 17–1 victory in the round of 16. Their journey continued with a thrilling 4–3 win over league title holder Al Nassr in the quarterfinals. In a nail-biting semi-final match against Al Qadsiah, Al-Ahli secured a narrow 3–2 win. Ultimately, in the historic final, Al-Ahli emerged victorious, clinching the inaugural cup after beating Al-Shabab 3–2 to be crowned the first-ever champions.[8][9]
Season by season edit
| Season | League | Women's Cup | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tier | Division | Position | ||
| 2022–23 | 1 | Premier League | 6th of 8 | N/A |
| 2023–24 | 2nd of 8 | Champions | ||
Players 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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Managerial history edit
Below is a list of Al-Ahli Women coaches from 2022 until the present day.
| Name | Nationality | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Manar Fraij | Jordan
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2022–current |
Honours edit
Runners-up (1): 2023–24
Champions (1; record): 2023–24
References edit
- ^ "Al-Ahli and Al-Shabab complete their acquisition for participation in the Women's Premier League". saff.com.sa (in Arabic). SAFF. 6 October 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ^ "Saudi Al-Ahli acquire the Miras team to participate in the Women's League". koraplus.com (in Arabic). Rahma Darwish. 5 October 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ^ "Manar Freij leads the Al-Ahli women's team with enhanced expertise backed by 7 Asian championships". aawsat.com (in Arabic). 22 October 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ^ "Saudi Al-Ahli signs 5 players and a Jordanian coach to strengthen the women's team". aawsat.com (in Arabic). 20 October 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ^ "Ibtissam Jraidi: Morocco's goal-getter seals big money move to Saudi Arabia". cafonline.com. 13 December 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ^ "دوري السيدات السعودي يحلق بالمغربية إبتسام إلى المونديال" [Saudi Women League fly Morccan Ibtissam Jraïdi to world cup]. aawsat.com (in Arabic). 12 July 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ "The Week in Women's Football: Exploring the Saudi Premier League ambitions and hearing from Maria Khan". tribalfootball.com. 18 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ "SAFF Cup: Al-Ahli Secures Semi-Final Spot with a Quadruple Against Al-Nassr". aawsat.com (in Arabic). 30 December 2023. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
- ^ "Al-Ahli crowned champions of inaugural Saudi Women's Cup". arabnews.com. 29 March 2024. Retrieved 29 March 2024.