Al Ahli SC (Arabic: النادي الأهلي الرياضي), also known as Al Ahli Doha is a Qatari multi-sport club based in Doha. It is most notable for its professional association football section. Their home ground is the Hamad bin Khalifa Stadium. Founded in 1950, it is the oldest sports club in Qatar.
Al-Ahli SC
Full name
Al-Ahli Sports Club
Nickname(s)
Al Ameed (Brigadier)
Founded
1950; 74 years ago (1950) as Al Najah 1972; 52 years ago (1972) as Al Ahli
Al Ahli was founded under the name Al Najah Sports Club in 1950, rendering it the oldest surviving sports club in Qatar. Al Najah SC was established by the founders of another club, called Sawt al-Arab, which was subsequently disbanded. The most prominent of the founders was Naji Musaad, the first president of the club. The club's first headquarters was located in Barahat Al Jufairi, in a residential house which was rented at a monthly fee of 70 Indian rupees. In 1964, the club was formally founded under resolution no. 2. Their first match abroad was scheduled to take place against Al Muharraq. After travelling to Bahrain by sea, the club was turned down because their squad comprised foreign players. Instead, they played against Al Nusoor, whom they defeated 3–1.[1]
In 1972, Al Najah was merged with another local club under its current name, Al Ahli Sports Club. The first board of directors was formed with eight members, and the club's colors were officially decided as green and white.[1] Early managers after the merger include Mohammed Kheiri, the first manager of Al Ahli Sports Club, Sudanese Abdullah Balash, Lebanese Omar Khatib and Sudanese Hassan Osman.[2] They played a friendly against Pelé-led Santos in 1973 at Doha Sports Stadium.[3] In the 1983/84 season, the club received a new headquarters, equipped with modern training and recreational facilities, as did all of the other sports clubs in Qatar.
In the early nineties, under the presidency of Sheikh Khalid bin Ali Al Thani, the club was relegated to the Qatari 2nd Division for the first time in its history. In an attempt to improve its younger generation of players by providing them with invaluable first team experience, the youth team had been given an opportunity to earn promotion back to the first division. They were unsuccessful, and only were runners up that year.[4]
The club has won one domestic trophy since its formation, the Emir Cup. This competition which was secured four times, with the first triumph coming in the inaugural edition under coach Mohammed Kheiri.[5]
The club has one of the most consistently high home attendances in the Qatar Stars League. On 11 April 2014, they set a new league record for final match day attendance with 10,142 fans attending the league match against Al Sailiya.[6]
^ ab"Al-Ahli Sports Club – Foundation story". al-ahliclub.com. Archived from the original on 2 December 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
^عبد الرحمن المغيصيب الرئيس السابق : النادي إبني البكر ولا أطيق عليه اي كلمة لو بالغشمرة (in Arabic). al-ahliclub.com. Archived from the original on 2 December 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
^"مشاركة متميزة لمركز قطر للتراث والهوية في اليوم الرياضي". alarab.qa. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
^الشيخ خالد بن علي الرئيس السابق للنادي يفتح قلبه للموقع : الادارة الحالية تحتاج للدعم والوقت لاعادة العميد لامجاده-قرارات المجلس الحالي يجب ان تنبع من داخله وليس من المجالس (in Arabic). al-ahliclub.com. Archived from the original on 2 December 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
^مسابقة كأس سمو الأمير لكرة القدم المباريات النهائية (in Arabic). alkass.net. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
^"New Record Attendance for a Qatar Stars League Match in Round 26". qsl.com.qa. Archived from the original on 14 April 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
^"Al Ahli Doha Manager history". Retrieved 10 May 2023.
^المغيصيب أفضل مدرب وطني ويبحث دائماً عن الانجازات (in Arabic). Qatar Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 1 January 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
^Abdul Hamid Al-Adassi (8 October 2003). "الدوري القطري ينطلق بمشاركة نجوم الكرة العالميين" (in Arabic). Al Jazeera. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
^"أوزفالدو الضحية السادسة في الدوري القطري". alittihad.ae. 7 February 2006. Archived from the original on 7 August 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
^إقالة مدرب الأهلي القطري (in Arabic). nablustv.net. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
^"Qatar Stars League 17/18: Football Development Report - Full Season Analysis" (PDF) (in Arabic). Qatar stars League. p. 58. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
^أسماء مدربين واداريين الفئات السنية كرة القدم (in Arabic). al-ahliclub.com. Archived from the original on 28 June 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
^"Qatar Football — Soccer Clubs Ranking". Retrieved 18 September 2023.
^"Asia Football — Soccer Clubs Ranking". Retrieved 18 September 2023.
^"World Football — Soccer Clubs Ranking". Retrieved 18 September 2023.
Abdulla Yousef Al-Mulla
Al-Arabi
Nejmeh
Al-Ittihad
