Who we are
Al-Sadd Club is a hallmark in Qatar’s sporting landscape, a path-breaking institution that has carved an immortal name for itself across the Arab world, in Asia and all over the globe.
Since its inception in 1969, Al-Sadd has never stopped evolving. Over the years, many prominent figures have led the club through that process, maintaining its strategy of success. The club has always focused on contributing to Qatar’s sporting power through the development of young talents while also leading the line with a professional approach in all its endeavours.
Out of all of its leaders, the club is most proud of having been once guided by HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the Emir of the State of Qatar, who oversaw a time of immense success.
Many oth
er illustrious names have held the same post, notably HE Sheikh Ahmad bin Jassim, HE Mohammed bin Mubarak Al-Ali, HE Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, the former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy and Industry; HE Nasser bin Mubarak Al-Ali, HE Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad bin Jabr Al-Thani and finally, HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al-Thani, who is the club chairman now.
At Al-Sadd Club, we will leave no stone unturned to add further value to Qatari sports. We promise to put all our efforts in aiding the country’s progress, in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030.
The beginning
Al-Sadd Club was founded on 21 October 1969. Looking back from today’s state-of-the-art facilities at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium and a silverware-laden trophy room, it is tough to imagine the humble beginnings of the club and the limited resources the club had during its early days. While the club would go on to conquer Asia within two decades of its founding and find extraordinary success in all areas, none of it would have been possible without the steely determination and ambitious vision of four young students in the summer of 1969.
These four students – Ali bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, Nasser bin Mubarak Al-Ali, Mohammed bin Mubarak Al-Ali – started out playing good football in the grounds of Doha as teenagers. In fact, they were so good that a number of prominent teams of the day approached them to play for their clubs. However, they refused.
Instead, they set out on a dream – to have their own club. Their initial application were rejected. Finally, it was a meeting with H.E. Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Minister of Education of those times, that proved to be crucial in the establishment of Al-Sadd Club. He agreed to their demand and made an indelible impression on Qatari sports with that decision. Al-Sadd’s stadium, first built in 1974, pays homage to him by bearing his name.
The football division of the club has grown to become the most prominent aspect and the first team is the most successful in Qatar in terms of league and cup titles won. In 1989, Al-Sadd became the first Arab team to win the Asian Club Championship before going on to win the tournament again, in its revamped version, 22 years later. In 2011, the club finished third at the Club World Cup, behind FC Barcelona and Santos. Famous names who have appeared in the Al-Sadd jersey include Abedi Pele, Romario, Frank Leboeuf, Raul and Xavi.
The founders
Ali bin Hamad Al-Attiyah
Abdallah bin Hamad Al-Attiyah
Nasser bin Mubarak Al-Ali
Mohammed bin Mubarak Al-Ali
The crest of the club
The first crest of the club had a design of a football with white as the primary colour, before some Arabic writing was introduced to it in black. First created in Lebanon in 1969, the core design has been incorporated into all of the succeeding versions of the crest. Club founder Mr. Nasser bin Mubarak Al-Ali came up with the second design of the crest in the 1980s before redesigning it in 1999, as part of the thirtieth anniversary celebrations of the club. This design remained until 2019, with the only addition being the two golden stars at the top which were added in 2012 to signify Al-Sadd’s two Asian titles.
A new logo was unveiled on the occasion of the club’s 50th anniversary on 21 October 2019, signifying the start of a new era. Used from the beginning of the 2020-21 season, the new emblem retains the circular shape of all previous club logos during the past fifty years and is minimal compared to the ones that came before.
The launch of the new emblem comes in line with the commercial and sporting vision of the club, and the goals that it seeks to achieve in various fields in the coming years.
