Al-Ula FC

Al-Ula

Full name	Al-Ula Football Club
Nickname(s)	Al-Nomur Al-Arabiya (The Arabian Tigers)
Founded	1981;43 years ago (1981)
Ground	Prince Mohammed bin Abdul Aziz Stadium, Medina
Capacity	24,000
Owner	Royal Commission for Al-'Ula
Chairman	Amr Al-Madani
Manager	Rodolfo
League	Second Division League
2023–24	Saudi Third Division, 1st (promoted)
Website	Club website
Home colours

Al-Ula Football Club is a football club based in Medina, Saudi Arabia. Founded in 1981, they are currently members of the Saudi Second Division League, the third tier of the Saudi football league system. ^[1] They play their home matches at the 24,000-seater Prince Mohammed bin Abdul Aziz Stadium. ^[2]

History

The roots of the foundation of Al-Ula FC go back to 1978 when a friendly match was held between two amateur sides in the city. ^[3] The match was attended by the governor of Medina Province at the time Prince Abdul Muhsin bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Following the match's success, the two teams' leaders agreed to merge both clubs into one that would represent the governorate. The club was officially registered with the General Presidency of Youth Welfare in 1981 under the name of Wadi Al-Qura. A few years later the club changed their to Al-Ula. Since its inception, the club has had eight presidents, with Mousa Abdulwahed being the first. ^[4]

Al-Ula had a relatively anonymous existence in the lower tiers of Saudi football until June 2023, when the club came under the control of the Royal Commission for Al-'Ula, a state commission under Mohammed bin Salman as part of the Saudi Vision 2030. ^{[5] [6] [7]}

As part of the takeover, the club made substantial investments in new players, including Brazilian forward Allan Sousa, who joined from Danish club AaB for an annual salary believed to be €2.5 million. This significant signing occurred despite the club's participation in the Saudi Third Division, which is the fourth tier of the Saudi football league system. ^{[8] [9]} Sousa was presented alongside Nigerian forward Christian Irobiso. ^[10] Sousa and Irobiso became the first foreign players in the club's history. On 24 March 2024, Al-Ula secured promotion to the third tier, the Saudi Second Division League, for the first time in history after beating Al-Anwar in the playoff final. ^[11]

Current squad

As of 20 September 2023 ^[12]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK   KSA Sultan Al-Shammari 2 DF   KSA Abdulaziz Al-Ahmadi 5 MF   KSA Abdullah Al-Bladi 6 MF   KSA Gusay Al-Shelali 8 MF   KSA Hamoud Al-Qarni 9 FW   KSA Hamad Al-Juhaim 10 FW   BRA Allan Sousa 11 MF   KSA Ammar Al-Harfi 12 FW   GUI Ousmane Barry 13 DF   KSA Adel Al-Thowaib 15 MF   KSA Mohammed Al-Sherif 17 MF   KSA Mohammed Al-Nakhli 19 DF   KSA Abdulaziz Al-Alawi 20 MF   KSA Thaar Al-Otaibi 21 MF   KSA Muhannad Awadh 24 DF   KSA Mohammed Al-Shammari 26 MF   KSA Ghallab Al-Enezi

No. Pos. Nation Player 27 GK   KSA Mazyad Freeh 30 DF   KSA Aqeel Baalghyth 31 MF   KSA Abdulmohsen Al-Burayk 32 DF   KSA Abdullah Al-Dossari 33 DF   KSA Bandar Baajaj 48 DF   KSA Riyadh Al-Kharaan 55 DF   KSA Nawaf Al-Sobhi 66 DF   KSA Khaled Al-Ruwaili 70 MF   KSA Housain Al-Mogahwi 71 MF   KSA Mohammed Al-Otaibi 77 FW   KSA Emad Al-Kanani 87 GK   KSA Ahmed Masrahi 88 DF   KSA Abdulrahman Al-Khaibari 92 GK   KSA Saad Al-Qarni 97 DF   KSA Haider Al-Ameri 98 DF   KSA Mohammed Al-Sharqi

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 25 FW   NGA Christian Irobiso (on loan to Petrolul Ploiești)

References

1. "العلا - Al-Ula".
2. "Al Ula". Saudi Arabian Football Federation . Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
3. "قصة التأسيس".
4. "الراشد ومعاذ وخوجة.. أبرز وجوه العلا".
5. "نادي العلا | الاخبار" [Transfer of ownership of AlUla Club to the Royal Commission for AlUla Governorate]. Al-Ula FC (Press release) (in Arabic). 5 June 2023. Archived from the original on 22 September 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
6. Sim, Josh (6 June 2023). "PIF takes ownership of four Saudi Pro League clubs as Aramco, Neom, Driyah Gate and Royal Commission for Al-Ula also buy in". SportsPro. Archived from the original on 29 July 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
7. "Saudi Arabia privatises football clubs, eyes big-name signings". Al Jazeera. 5 June 2023. Archived from the original on 6 September 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
8. El-Itr, Obaida (15 September 2023). "Allan Sousa kickstarter enorm klubsatsning". Tipsbladet. Archived from the original on 21 September 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
9. El-Itr, Obaida (15 September 2023). "Afsløring: Så meget tjener Sousa i Saudi-Arabien". Tipsbladet (in Danish). Archived from the original on 21 September 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
10. Bak, Daniel (19 September 2023). "Bekræftet: Sousa er på plads i Saudi-Arabien". bold.dk (in Danish). Archived from the original on 22 September 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
11. Al-Hubaishi, Saud (24 March 2024). "العلا بطل دوري الدرجة الثالثة" [Al-Ula is the champion of the third division league]. AlRiyadiyah (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 23 March 2024. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
12. "تشكيلة العلا".

External links

• Official website (in Arabic)