Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation is the official

governing body A governing body is a group of people that has the authority to exercise governance over an organization or political entity. The most formal is a government, a body whose sole responsibility and authority is to make binding decisions in a taken ...

of the sport of

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

. Its current headquarters is in Riyadh,

. It is Saudi Arabia's representative at the

International Cricket Council The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the world governing body of cricket. Headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, its members are 108 national associations, with 12 Full Members and 96 Associate Members. Founded in 1909 as the ' ...

, and has been a member of the Council since 2003. It is also a member of the

Asian Cricket Council The Asian Cricket Council also known as ACC is a cricket organisation which was established in 1983, to promote and develop the sport of cricket in Asia. Subordinate to the International Cricket Council, the council is the continent's regional ...

. Saudi Arabia became an Affiliate Member of the

in 2003, and became the 39th Associate Member in 2016.Saudi Arabia unanimously elected as ICC’s 39th Associate Member
- CricketCountry, 30 June 2016

History

For decades, cricket has been an interest of thousands of expatriates in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation (SACF) Previously known as Saudi Cricket Centre (SCC) was established in 2001 under the patronage of HRH Princess Ghada Bint Hamood Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, with the objective of “development and promotion of the game of cricket in Saudi Arabia”. SACF is the only legal, indigenous entity registered with Ministry of Sports to administer the game of cricket in Saudi Arabia. It is officially affiliated with the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and International Cricket Council (ICC), enabling it to oversee all international tours, regional competitions and domestic cricket events. Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation (SACF), under the auspices of Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee and the Ministry of Sports, is established with HRH Prince Saud bin Mishal Al Saud appointed as its First President and Chairman of the Board of Directors.

History of cricket in Saudi Arabia

The first references to cricket in Saudi Arabia was in 1960. Organised cricket was developed by the mid-1970s when associations were formed, and legal status to organise cricket events was attained in 2001. In 2003, Saudi Arabia obtained status as a country participating in international cricket events.

Registered Cricket Associations Under SACF

*WPCA – Western Province Cricket Association *RCA – Riyadh Cricket Association *RCL - Riyadh Cricket League *EPCA – Eastern Province Cricket Association *ERCA - Eastern Region Cricket Association *YACA – Yanbu Al Sinayiah Cricket Association *MMCA - Madina Al Munawwara Cricket Association *ACL - Aseer Cricket League *NCL - Najran Cricket League *JRCL - Jizan Region Cricket Association *JPCL - Jizan Premier Cricket League *AQCL - Al Qaseem Cricket League *JCA - Jubail Cricket Association *TCA - Tabuk Cricket Association *JCA - Jeddah Cricket Association

Facilities and Events

Saudi Arabia has: * 120 registered cricket clubs, with over 7200 registered players * 25 cricket grounds * 2 cricket academies * Excellence Cricket Academy in Jeddah * One turf wicket * 3 AstroTurf wickets * 17 certified coaches * 28 certified umpires * One women's ACC-qualified umpire/scorer * Various annual competitions * 56 inter-club competitions (each association conducts its own competition) * 8 inter-region open competitions * One inter-country competition at association level * Junior and youth leagues * 12 inter-school competitions (U-13, U-15, U-17) * 4 regional junior competitions (U-19–U-21) * 8 coaches involved in regular coaching clinics

References

Exclusive: Saudi Arabia’s game-changing-plans for cricket in the Kingdom > https://arab.news/4av6b Cricket administration Cricket in Saudi Arabia Sports organizations established in 2001 Sports governing bodies in Saudi Arabia {{Cricket-org-stub