The 2008–09 Saudi Professional League was the 33rd season of

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 ...

since its establishment in 1976 and first after rebranding to the Saudi Pro League. Al-Hilal were the defending champions, having won their 11th title in the previous season. The campaign began on 13 September 2008 and ended on 12 April 2009. A total of 12 teams contested the league, 10 of which already contested in the 2007–08 season, and two of which were promoted from the

First Division 1st Division or First Division may refer to: Military Airborne divisions *1st Parachute Division (Germany) *1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom) * 1st Airmobile Division (Ukraine) * 1st Guards Airborne Division Armoured divisions *1st Armoure ...

. On 12 April 2009, in the final round of the season,

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 ...

won the title after a 2–1 victory over Al-Hilal. It was their eighth league title overall.

, Al-Hilal, Al-Ahli and Al-Shabab all secured a berth for the

2010 AFC Champions League The 2010 AFC Champions League was the 29th edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 8th under the current AFC Champions League title. The final was held at the National ...

, while Al-Nassr and

Al-Ettifaq Al-Ettifaq Club (), commonly known as Al-Ettifaq or simply Ettifaq, is a professional football club in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, which competes in the Saudi Pro League. The club was established by the merger of three Dammam-based clubs in 1945. Al- ...

qualified for the

Gulf Club Champions Cup The AGCFF Gulf Club Champions League (), formerly known as the GCC Champions League, is a regional football competition governed by the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation (AGCFF) for clubs from its eight member nations. The tournament was founde ...

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 ...

and

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 ...

were relegated to the

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

Changes

Professional League rebrand

On 26 May 2008, the

SAFF South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) is an association of the Association football, football playing nations in South Asia. Incorporated in 1997, it is a regional subsidiary of Asian Football Confederation. The members of the association are ...

announced that the league would be rebranded as

. The changes were based on the criteria introduced by AFC President

Mohammed bin Hammam Mohammed bin Hammam (; born 8 May 1949) is a Qatari former football administrator. He was president of the Asian Football Confederation from 2002 to 2011, and a member of FIFA's 24-man executive committee from 1996 to 2011. On 23 July 2011, B ...

to improve the football standards in Asia. The changes also included a website dedicated to recording statistics of the league for the first time. It was also announced that the website would be run by the Saudi Professional League rather than the Saudi FF.

Qualification and Prize money

The League champions, runners-up and third place as well as the winner of the King Cup of Champions qualified for the

. The top eight teams qualified 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 ten teams from the previous season and the two teams promoted from the

. The promoted teams were Al-Raed (returning to the top flight after an absence of five years) and

(returning to the top flight after an absence of two years). They replaced Al-Tai (after seven consecutive years in the top-flight) and Al-Qadsiah (after six consecutive years in the top-flight).

Stadiums and locations

Personnel

Managerial changes

Foreign players

The number of foreign players was limited to 3 per team, and should not be a goalkeeper. For the January transfer window, the

added an additional slot for a player from one of the AFC countries. * Players name in bold indicates the player was registered during mid-season transfer window. * Players name in ''italic'' indicates the player was de-registered or left their respective clubs during mid-season transfer window.

League table

Fixtures and results

Relegation play-offs

Al-Raed, who finished 10th, faced

, who finished 11th for a two-legged play-off. The winner on aggregate score after both matches earned entry into the 2009–10 Professional League while the loser was relegated to the First Division. Al-Raed won 4–3 on aggregate and retained their place in the next edition.

First leg

Second leg

''Al-Raed won 4–3 on aggregate.''

Season statistics

Scoring

Top scorers

Hat-tricks

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

Most assists

Clean sheets

Discipline

Player

* Most yellow cards: 6 ** Harison (Al-Ahli/Al-Wehda) **

Abdullah Al-Dossari Abdullah Al-Dossari may refer to: * Abdullah Al-Dossari (footballer, born 1983), Saudi Arabian footballer * Abdullah Al-Dossari (footballer, born 1990), Saudi Arabian footballer * Abdullah Al-Dossari (footballer, born 1993), Saudi Arabian foo ...

(Al-Wehda) ** Abdullah Huwais (Al-Watani) ** Ahmed Al-Fraidi (Al-Hilal) ** Ahmed Menawer (Al-Hazem) ** Basem Al-Sherif (Al-Raed) ** Ibrahim Al-Kaabi (Al-Watani) ** Ibrahim Hazzazi (Al-Ahli) **

Taisir Al-Jassim Taiseer Jaber Abdulmohsen Al-Jassim (, can also be spelled as Taisir Al-Jassim, born 25 July 1984) is a Saudi Arabian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He was the captain of Al-Ahli Saudi FC and vice-captain of the Sa ...

(Al-Ahli) * Most red cards: 2 **

Naif Al-Qadi Naif Ali Al-Qadi () (born 3 April 1979) is a Saudi Arabian former football (soccer) player who last played as a defender for Al-Shabab. He played for the Saudi Arabia national team occasionally and was called up to the squad to participate in ...

(Al-Shabab) ** Redha Tukar (Al-Ittihad) ** Sultan Al-Balawi (Al-Watani)

Club

* Most yellow cards: 52 ** Abha ** Al-Watani * Most red cards: 7 ** Al-Wehda

Awards

The following awards were given following the conclusion of the season. The awards were known as 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 and were sponsored by Saudi newspaper Arriyadiyah and Saudi telecommunication company

. The awards were presented on 30 May 2009.

References

External links

Saudi Arabia Football Federation
{{DEFAULTSORT:2008-09 Saudi Professional League Saudi Pro League seasons 2008–09 in Saudi Arabian football

Saudi Professional 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 ...