Shabab Al Ahli Club
Full name | Shabab Al Ahli | ||
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Nickname(s) | Al Fursan Al Humur (The Red Knights) | ||
Founded | 1958 (as Al Shabab) | ||
Ground | Rashid Stadium, Dubai | ||
Capacity | 20,000 | ||
Owner | Hamdan Al Maktoum | ||
Chairman | Ahmed Al Maktoum | ||
Head coach | Marko Nikolić | ||
League | UAE Pro League | ||
2022–23 | UAE Pro League, 1st (Champions) | ||
Website | Club website | ||
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Shabab Al Ahli Club (
Al Ahli FC has won 8 league titles, a record of 10 UAE's President Cup titles, 6 UAE super Cup titles, 5 ADIB cup titles, 1 Emirati-Moroccan Super Cup, and 1 combined league. Earining a total of 31 titles, making them the second most successful team in UAE. And the most successful team in Dubai. In the latest ranking by the
In 2017, the
History
Establishment
Al Ahli club was established in 1970 when two local football teams Al Wehdah and Al Shabab (est. 1958) joined together for a training camp in Egypt but decided to merge as one single club under first club president H.E. Nasser Abdulla Hussain Lootah. Four years later another local team Al Najah joined to form Al Ahli Club.
Al Ahli translates to "domestic or national" in
1973–1980: The golden age and aftermath decline
It took Al Ahli only four years after its establishment to win the
2009 FIFA Club World Cup
Al-Ahli, as
Bouncing Back
The club began to rise again and in 2010 with Abdullah Al Naboodah, the squad was gradually re-built, with the likes of
2017 Merge
In 2017 the clubs
Crest and nickname
-
2017–Present
The original Al Ahli logo reflected a falcon on top of football and the words "Al Ahli Club" written horizontally. After rebranding themselves to Red Knights in 2006, the logo changed to a horse head shape with the letters "AC" (Al Ahli Club) on top. The new logo represents strength and high spirits also it goes along with the new nickname Red Knights instead of the old nickname the Red Devils.
A new logo was created after the merge between Dubai CSC and Al Shabab that made Shabab Al-Ahli.
Grounds
Rashid Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Dubai, United Arab Emirates that was named after Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum. It is currently used mostly for football & Rugby matches. The stadium holds 12,000 people. It was built in 1948. It is the home ground of Shabab Al-Ahli.[5] Shabab Al Ahli also has Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium and Al Aweer Stadium as a second and third home ground for the club after merging with Al Shabab and Dubai in 2017.
Rivalries
Shabab Al Ahli rivalry with
Active departments
The club is also known as Al Ahli Castle because of its involvement in other professional sports. The club competes in basketball, volleyball,
Relationship with La Liga
In 2016, Al Ahli became the first foreign club to sign a partnership agreement with La Liga, the first of its kind. The signing of the agreement, staged at La Liga's headquarters in Madrid, marks the beginning of a linkup in which La Liga's experience will be used to support Dubai's leading club in its development, especially via a training program from youth coaches in Spain will be applied. The club's junior sides will gain invitations to leading tournaments there, providing the opportunity to gain valuable experience playing top-class opposition.[9]
Pro-League record
Season | Lvl. | Tms. | Pos. | President's Cup | League Cup |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017–18 | 1 | 12 | 5th | Semi-Finals | Semi-Finals |
2018–19 | 1 | 14 | 2nd | Champions | Champions |
2019–20a | 1 | 14 | 1st | Quarter-Finals | Runner-ups |
2020–21 | 1 | 14 | 3rd | Champions | Champions |
2021–22 | 1 | 14 | 5th | Quarter-Finals | Runner-ups |
2022–23 | 1 | 14 | 1st | Quarter-Finals | Quarter-Finals |
Notes^ 2019–20 UAE football season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates.
Key
- Pos. = Position
- Tms. = Number of teams
- Lvl. = League
Club officials
Position | Staff |
---|---|
Head Coach | Marko Nikolić |
Assistant Coach | Hassan Al Abdouli |
First Team Coach | Habibullah Khamis |
Goalkeeper Coach | Yahya Sahib |
Fitness Trainer | Islam Sulaiman |
Therapist | Najib Abdullah Saeed Abdul Ghanee |
Physioterapist | Irfan Mahbout |
Masseur | Mahmood Hussein |
Specialist Director | Mansoor Najr |
Team Manager | Mohamed Ahmed-Ibrahim |
Manager | Khaled Alkaabi Ahmed Ali-Shah |
Current squad
As of
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Unregistered players
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Shabab Al Ahli from Board Of Directors
- Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum – President
- Sheikh Maktoum Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum – Vice President
- Sheikh Ahmed Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum – Chairman
- Sheikh Mansour Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum – Deputy Chairman
Board members
- Khalifa Sulaiman
- Sami Al-Qamzi
- Mohammed Al Gergawi
- Essam Al Humaidan
- Mohammed Ahmed Al-Marri
- Hisham Abdullah Al Qassem
- Abdullah Mohammed Al Basti
- Ahmed Mohammed bin Humaidan
Shabab Al Ahli Football Company Board Directors
- Sheikh Mansour Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum - Chairman
- Sami Al Qamzi - Deputy Chairman
Board Members
- Abdul Majeed Hussain
- Ibrahim Abdul-Malik
- Khalid Buhumaid
- Jamal Al Mehairi
- Ali Al-Habsi
- Saeed Rashid
Honours
30 Official[11] Championships
Domestic Competitions
- UAE Pro League: 8
- Champions: 2015–16, 2022–23
- Champions:
- UAE President's Cup: 10 (Record)
- Champions: 2018–19, 2020–21
- Champions:
- UAE League Cup: 5 (Record)
- Champions:
- UAE Super Cup: 6 (Record)
Regional competitions
- Qatar–UAE Super Shield: 1 (Record)
Continental competitions
- AFC Champions League
- Runners-up (1): 2015
- See: Al Shabab SC and Dubai CSC, for respective club championships.
See also
References
- ^ "محمــد بن راشد يأمر بدمج الشبـاب ودبي مع الأهلي في كيان واحد". البيان (in Arabic). 17 May 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
- ^ "Al Shabab, Al Ahli and Dubai Club merge". gulfnews.com. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
- ^ "The 10 greatest foreign players to grace UAE football part II — 5-1". The National. 11 November 2015. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
- ^ "Al Ahli 0 – 2 Auckland City". ESPN. 2009-12-09. Retrieved 2009-12-15.
- ^ a b "Al Ahli Sports Club". www.alahliclub.ae. Retrieved 2016-05-01.
- ^ "Shabab Al Ahli beat Al Wahda 3-1 in extra-time to win fourth Arabian Gulf Cup". Sport 360. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
- ^ "Shabab Al Ahli crowned President's Cup champions". gulftoday. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
- ^ "Shabab Al Ahli win 2021 UAE Beach Soccer League!". Beach Soccer Worldwide. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
- ^ "Al Ahli football club sign ground-breaking agreement with Spain's La Liga through 2018 | The National". www.thenational.ae. Retrieved 2016-05-01.
- ^ https://www.shababalahli.ae/first-team/
- ^ ONLY Al-Ahli since rebranding championships are counted
- ^ "Shabab Al Ahli edge Al Duhail to win maiden Qatar-UAE Super Shield". Qatar Stars League. 13 April 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.