Al-Ahli Saudi FC
Full nameAl-Ahli Saudi Women Football Club
Nickname(s)Al-Malaki (The Royal)
Maeqil Al'Aswad (Lionesses Stronghold)
Al-Raqi (The Classy)
Short nameAl-Ahli Ladies
Founded2019 (2019) as Miras Jeddah Club
October 6 2022 (October 6 2022) as Al–Ahli Saudi Women's Football Club
GroundKing Abdullah Sports City
Capacity62,346
OwnerPublic Investment Fund (75%)
Al-Ahli Non-Profit Foundation (25%)
ChairmanKhalid Al-Essa Al-Ghamdi
Head coachJordan Manar Fraij
LeagueSaudi Women's Premier League
2023–24SWPL, 5th of 8

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.

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

Formation (2022)

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)

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]

Season by season

Season League Women's Cup
Tier Division Position
2022–23 1 Premier League 6th of 8 N/A
2023–24 TBD TBD

Players

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.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Jordan JOR Rawand Kassab
6 FW Algeria ALG Abla Bensenouci
8 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Rahaf Al-Mansouri
9 FW Morocco MAR Ibtissam Jraïdi (captain)
10 FW Ghana GHA Alice Kusi
11 FW Saudi Arabia KSA Daliah Abu Laban
14 DF Egypt EGY Farida Hanafi
16 FW Saudi Arabia KSA Huriyyah Al-Shamrani
18 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Rema Althakafi
19 DF Jordan JOR Ayah Al-Majali
21 FW Morocco MAR Rania Salmi
22 FW Saudi Arabia KSA Sawaher Al-Asiri
No. Pos. Nation Player
23 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Raghad Mukhayzin
24 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Moluk Al-Hawsawi
75 FW Ghana GHA Cecilia Hagan
88 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Maya Al-Zahrani
99 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Rana Abdullah
GK Saudi Arabia KSA Salma Al-Dosari
MF Saudi Arabia KSA Ahod Alamari
MF Saudi Arabia KSA Izza Jouda
MF Saudi Arabia KSA Ghada Malhan
MF Saudi Arabia KSA Renad Alsofyani
DF Saudi Arabia KSA Umm Kulthum Alaidaroos
MF Saudi Arabia KSA Fadwa Khalid

Managerial history

Below is a list of Al-Ahli Women coaches from 2022 until the present day.

Name Nationality Years
Manar Fraij  Jordan 2022–current

References

  1. "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.
  2. "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.
  3. "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.
  4. "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.
  5. "Ibtissam Jraidi: Morocco's goal-getter seals big money move to Saudi Arabia". cafonline.com. 13 December 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  6. "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.
  7. "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.
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