Al Ahli SC (Doha)

History

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.

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. 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. They played a friendly against Pelé-led Santos in 1973 at Doha Sports Stadium. 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 September 1985, amidst a heavy debt of QAR 700,000, the club announced that it would not contract with any foreign players for that season to preserve its funds. As a result, five Yugoslavian players it had recently signed for its basketball, handball and volleyball teams would be released. The Ministry of Youth and Sports injected QAR 500,000 and its supporters and members raised over QAR 300,000 to help the club pay off debt and contract professionals.

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.

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.

Stadium

Al Ahli play their home matches at Hamad bin Khalifa Stadium which has a capacity of 12,000 seats.

Supporters

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.

Players

Current squad

As of Qatar Stars League:

Olympic squad

Out on loan

Managerial history

|- |1975–??

|}

Al Ahli club staff

Last update: 2 June 2017.

|}

Club officials

Board

Club presidents

As of February 2012.

Records and statistics

Player statistics

Last update: 10 December 2024.

Players whose names are in bold are still active with the club.

Performance in UAFA competitions

• UAFA Club Cup: 2 appearances ::2003/04: First round ::2007/08: First round

Performance in AFC competitions

• Asian Cup Winners Cup: 2 appearances ::1992/93: First Round ::1998/99: Second Round

Asian record

1. Al Nejmeh SC withdrew from the tournament.

Honours

• Emir of Qatar Cup
  • Winners (4): 1973, 1981, 1987, 1992
  • Runners-up (5): 1975, 1984, 1985, 1998, 2003
• Sheikh Jassem Cup
  • Runners-up (2): 1999, 2006
• Qatari 2nd Division
  • Winners (1): 2012
• UAE-Qatar Challenge Cup
  • Winners (1): 2026

References

References

1. "Al-Ahli Sports Club – Foundation story". al-ahliclub.com.
2. link. al-ahliclub.com
3. "مشاركة متميزة لمركز قطر للتراث والهوية في اليوم الرياضي". alarab.qa.
4. (3 September 1985). "لا للاعب الأجنبي. في النادي الأهلي". Al Raya.
5. link. al-ahliclub.com
6. link. alkass.net
7. "New Record Attendance for a Qatar Stars League Match in Round 26". qsl.com.qa.
8. (26 February 2014). "Al Ahli Doha Manager history".
9. link. Qatar Olympic Committee
10. Abdul Hamid Al-Adassi. (8 October 2003). "الدوري القطري ينطلق بمشاركة نجوم الكرة العالميين". Al Jazeera.
11. (7 February 2006). "أوزفالدو الضحية السادسة في الدوري القطري". alittihad.ae.
12. link. nablustv.net
13. "Qatar Stars League 17/18: Football Development Report - Full Season Analysis". Qatar stars League.
14. link. al-ahliclub.com