The 2009–10 Saudi Professional League (known as the Zain Professional League for sponsorship reasons) was the 34th season of the

Saudi Pro League The Saudi Pro League (SPL), also known as the Roshn Saudi League (RSL) for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Saudi Arabia and the highest level of the Saudi football league system. The SPL is regarded as th ...

, the top Saudi professional league for

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

clubs, since its establishment in

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

. The season began on 18 August 2009, and ended on 18 March 2010.

Al-Ittihad Al-Ittihad may refer to: Sports Football Men Teams * Al-Ittihad Club (Jeddah), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia * Al Ittihad SCSC (Tripoli), Tripoli, Libya * Al Ittihad Gheryan, Gharyan, Libya * Al Ittihad Misurata SC, Misurata, Libya * Al Ittihad SC ...

were the defending champions. Al Hilal secured the title with a 2–0 win away to Al-Hazem on 24 January 2010. Al Hilal won the league with three games to spare. Al Hilal,

, Al Shabab and

Al Nassr Al-Nassr Football Club () is a professional football club based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The club competes in the Saudi Pro League, the top tier of the Saudi football league system. Al-Nassr is one of only three clubs to have participated ...

all secured a berth for the

2011 AFC Champions League The 2011 AFC Champions League was the 30th edition of the top-level Asian club association football, football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 9th under the current AFC Champions League title. The winners, ...

. No teams were relegated at the end of the season following the decision to increase the number of teams from 12 to 14.

Name sponsorship

On 16 June 2009, the Saudi Professional League announced a sponsorship with telecommunication company Zain. As part of the sponsorship deal the Saudi Professional League would be known as the Zain Professional League for the next 4 seasons.

Qualification and Prize Money

The League champions, runners-up and third-placed team, as well as the winners of the King Cup of Champions, qualify for the

. The top six teams, and the

Crown Prince Cup The Saudi Crown Prince's Cup () was the oldest Saudi Arabian annual cup competition. History The cup was the oldest and first domestic football competition in Saudi Arabia; the first edition was held in 1956–57; five editions were played betwe ...

winners and runners-up qualify for King Cup of Champions. * Prize money: ** First place: 2.5 million Saudi Riyals ** Second place: 1.5 million Saudi Riyals ** Third place: 1 million Saudi Riyals

Teams

Twelve teams competed in the league – the top nine teams from the previous season, the relegation play-off winner and the two teams promoted from the

Saudi First Division The Saudi First Division League (), currently known as the Yelo League for sponsorship reasons, is the second tier of Football in Saudi Arabia, professional football in Saudi Arabia. It ranks below the Saudi Pro League and above the Saudi Second ...

. Al-Raed defeated

Abha Abha (, ') is the capital of Asir, Asir Province in Saudi Arabia. It is situated above sea level in the fertile Asir Mountains of south-western Saudi Arabia, near Asir National Park. Abha's mild climate makes it a popular tourist destination fo ...

4–3 on aggregate to confirm their top-flight status. The promoted teams were Al-Qadsiah (returning after a season's absence) and

Al-Fateh ''Al-Fateh'' (, "The Conqueror") was an online children's magazine in Arabic. It began publication in September 2002, and its 108th issue was released in mid-September 2007. The magazine featured stories, poems, riddles, and puzzles. Criticism ...

(playing top-flight football for the first time ever). They replaced

(relegated after a season's presence) and

Al-Watani Al-Watani () is a Saudi Arabian football team based in Tabuk. The club was established in 1959. The club currently plays in the Saudi Third Division. Al-Watani has achieved promotion to the Saudi Premier League as the champion of the Saudi Firs ...

(ending their two-year top-flight spell).

Stadiums and locations

Personnel

Managerial changes

Foreign players

The number of foreign players is restricted to four per team, including a slot for a player from AFC countries. * Players name in bold indicates the player was registered during the mid-season transfer window. * Players name in ''italic'' indicates the player was de-registered or left their respective clubs during the mid-season transfer window.

League table

Results

Season statistics

Scoring

Top scorers

Hat-tricks

;Notes ⁴ Player scored 4 goals
(H) – Home team
(A) – Away team

Clean sheets

Discipline

Player

* Most yellow cards: 8 ** Ramzi Ben Younès (Al-Fateh) * Most red cards: 2 **

Abdullah Al-Garni Abdullah Al-Garni (Arabic: عبد الله القرني; born 18 February 1987) is a Saudi Arabian Association football, footballer. He currently plays as a Defender (association football), defender for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Professional League. ...

(Al-Nassr) ** Ahmed Menawer (Al-Hazem) ** Mansoor Al-Harbi (Al-Ahli) ** Zakaria Al-Hadaf (Al-Qadsiah)

Club

* Most yellow cards: 56 ** Al-Hazem * Most red cards: 8 ** Al-Ittihad

Awards

Arriyadiyah and Mobily Awards for Sports Excellence

The Arriyadiyah and

Mobily Mobily () is a Saudi Arabian telecommunications services company that offers fixed line, mobile telephony, and Internet services. The company was established in 2004, and, in the summer of that year, won the bid for Saudi Arabia's second GSM ...

Awards for Sports Excellence were awarded at the conclusion of the season for the fourth time since its inception in 2007. The awards were sponsored by Saudi newspaper Arriyadiyah and Saudi telecommunication company

. The awards were presented on 13 May 2010.

Al-Riyadiya Awards

Another set of awards were awarded at the end of the season. It was announced that AlRiyadiya were presenting their awards for the first time. The awards were known as AlRiyadiya Awards and were presented on 8 May 2010. *Best Goalkeeper: Waleed Abdullah (Al-Shabab) *Best defender:

Osama Hawsawi Osama Abdulrzag Hawsawi (, born 31 March 1984) is a former Saudi Arabian footballer who played as a central defender. After starting out at Al-Wehda, he went on to spend the vast majority of his career with Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli. He won sever ...

(Al-Hilal) *Best Midfielder: Christian Wilhelmsson (Al-Hilal) *Best attacker:

Mohammad Al-Sahlawi Mohammad Ibrahim Mohammad Al-Sahlawi (; born 10 January 1987) is a Saudi Arabian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for Al Safa FC, Al-Safa. Club career Al-Qadsiah Al-Sahlawi was ...

(Al-Nassr) *Player of the Year:

(Al-Hilal)

References

External links

Saudi Arabia Football Federation

Saudi League Statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saudi Professional League 2009-10 2009–10 in Asian association football leagues Professional League