| Season | 2010–2011 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 14 August 2010 – 20 May 2011 |
| Champions | Al-Hilal (13th title) |
| Relegated | Al-Wehda Al-Hazem |
| Champions League | Al-Hilal Al-Ahli Al-Ittihad Al-Ettifaq |
| Matches | 182 |
| Goals | 534 (2.93 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Nasser Al-Shamrani (17 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Al-Wehda 8–1Al-Hazem (24 February 2011) |
| Biggest away win | Najran 1–5Al-Wehda (22 April 2011) |
| Highest scoring | Al-Wehda 8–1Al-Hazem (24 February 2011) |
| Longest winning run | 7 games[1] Al-Ittihad |
| Longest unbeaten run | 26 games[1] Al-Hilal |
| Longest winless run | 14 games[1] Al-Hazem |
| Longest losing run | 14 games[1] Al-Hazem |
| Highest attendance | 21,174[2] Al-Ettifaq 2–3Al-Hilal (1 April 2011) |
| Lowest attendance | 6[3] (spectator ban) Al-Hazem 1–4Al-Ettifaq (21 April 2011) |
| Average attendance | 4,204 |
2011–12 → | |
The2010–11 Saudi Professional League (known as theZain Professional League for sponsorship reasons) was the 35th season of theSaudi Pro League, the top Saudi professional league forassociation football clubs, since its establishment in1976. The season began on 14 August 2010, and ended on 20 May 2011.[4]Al-Hilal were thedefending champions.[5] The league was contested by the 12 teams from the2009–10 season as well asAl-Faisaly andAl-Taawoun, who joined as the promoted clubs from theSaudi First Division. No teams were relegated the previous season following the decision to increase the number of teams from 12 to 14.[6]
On 29 April, defending champions Al-Hilal won their 13th league title with two games to spare after a 1–0 home win overAl-Raed.[7] Al-Hilal ended the season without a single defeat – the first team ever to do so in a 26-game league season and the second team overall (the first wasAl-Ettifaq in1983, during an 18-game league season).
Al-Hazem were the first team to be relegated following a 2–0 away defeat toAl-Taawoun.[8]Al-Wehda became the second and final team to be relegated following the decision to dock 3 points from them.[9]
The SAFF announced that the number of teams in the league would be increased from 12 to 14.[6]
The league champions, runners-up and third place as well as the winner of theKing Cup of Champions qualified for the2012 AFC Champions League.
The top six teams, and theCrown Prince Cup winners and runners-up qualified forKing Cup of Champions.
Prize money:
14 teams competed in the league – 12 teams from the previous season and two teams promoted from theFirst Division. No teams were relegated the previous season following the decision to increase the number of teams from 12 to 14.[6] The promoted teams wereAl-Faisaly (returning after an absence of three years) andAl Taawoun (returning after an absence of 13 years).
| Club | Head coach | 2009–10 season | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Ahli | 6th | ||
| Al-Ettifaq | 9th | ||
| Al-Faisaly | First Division champions | ||
| Al-Fateh | 8th | ||
| Al-Hazem | 7th | ||
| Al-Hilal | 1st | Qualified to the2011 AFC Champions League | |
| Al-Ittihad | 2nd | ||
| Al-Nassr | 3rd | ||
| Al-Qadsiah | 10th | ||
| Al-Raed | 11th | ||
| Al-Shabab | 4th | Qualified to the2011 AFC Champions League | |
| Al-Taawoun | First Division runners-up | ||
| Al-Wehda | 5th | ||
| Najran | 12th |
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Faisaly | End of contract | 9 May 2010 | Pre-season | 19 May 2010[10] | ||
| Al-Taawoun | 2 July 2010[11] | |||||
| Al-Nassr | 18 May 2010 | 18 May 2010[12] | ||||
| Al-Hazem | 30 May 2010 | 10 July 2010[13] | ||||
| Al-Ittihad | 2 June 2010[14] | |||||
| Al-Raed | 15 July 2010[15] | |||||
| Al-Shabab | 12 July 2010[16] | |||||
| Al-Wehda | 24 June 2010[17] | |||||
| Al-Ahli | Signed byAl Wasl | 1 July 2010[18] | 1 July 2010[19] | |||
| Al-Ahli | Sacked | 28 August 2010[20] | 8th | 28 August 2010[20] | ||
| Al-Ahli | End of caretaker period | 10 September 2010[21] | 10th | 10 September 2010[21] | ||
| Al-Hilal | Signed byMorocco | 25 October 2010[22] | 2nd | 25 October 2010[23] | ||
| Najran | Resigned | 30 October 2010[24] | 10th | 30 October 2010[24] | ||
| Al-Hazem | Sacked | 31 October 2010[25] | 14th | 31 October 2010[25] | ||
| Al-Hilal | End of caretaker period | 5 November 2010 | 1st | 5 November 2010[26] | ||
| Al-Raed | Sacked | 7 November 2010[27] | 7th | 7 November 2010[27] | ||
| Al-Hazem | End of caretaker period | 13 November 2010[28] | 14th | 13 November 2010[28] | ||
| Al-Taawoun | Sacked | 16 December 2010[29] | 11th | 22 December 2010[30] | ||
| Al-Wehda | 23 December 2010[31] | 9th | 25 December 2010[32] | |||
| Al-Ittihad | Resigned | 24 December 2010[33] | 2nd | 28 December 2010[34] | ||
| Al-Shabab | 24 December 2010[35] | 5th | 27 December 2010[36] | |||
| Al-Nassr | Sacked | 27 December 2010[37] | 3rd | 11 January 2011[38] | ||
| Al-Ahli | Resigned | 20 February 2011[39] | 7th | 24 February 2011[40] | ||
| Al-Ettifaq | Sacked | 23 March 2011[41] | 4th | 23 March 2011[41] | ||
| Al-Wehda | 8 May 2011[42] | 11th | 8 May 2011[42] | |||
| Al-Ittihad | 11 May 2011[43] | 2nd | 13 May 2011[44] |
The number of foreign players is restricted to four per team, including a slot for a player fromAFC countries.
Players name inbold indicates the player was registered during the mid-season transfer window.Players name initalic indicates the player was de-registered or left their respective clubs during the mid-season transfer window.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Hilal(C) | 26 | 19 | 7 | 0 | 52 | 18 | +34 | 64 | Qualification for theChampions League group stage |
| 2 | Al-Ittihad | 26 | 13 | 12 | 1 | 49 | 23 | +26 | 51 | |
| 3 | Al-Ettifaq | 26 | 15 | 3 | 8 | 45 | 30 | +15 | 48 | Qualification for theChampions League play-off round |
| 4 | Al-Shabab | 26 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 42 | 30 | +12 | 46 | |
| 5 | Al-Nassr | 26 | 11 | 10 | 5 | 44 | 34 | +10 | 43 | |
| 6 | Al-Ahli | 26 | 11 | 4 | 11 | 48 | 41 | +7 | 37 | Qualification for theChampions League group stage[a] |
| 7 | Al-Faisaly | 26 | 10 | 5 | 11 | 39 | 47 | −8 | 35 | |
| 8 | Al-Taawoun | 26 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 37 | 31 | +6 | 32[b] | |
| 9 | Al-Fateh | 26 | 8 | 7 | 11 | 27 | 35 | −8 | 31 | |
| 10 | Al-Raed | 26 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 31 | 40 | −9 | 30 | |
| 11 | Najran | 26 | 8 | 2 | 16 | 33 | 52 | −19 | 26 | |
| 12 | Al-Qadsiah | 26 | 4 | 11 | 11 | 31 | 39 | −8 | 23 | |
| 13 | Al-Wehda(R) | 26 | 6 | 6 | 14 | 43 | 44 | −1 | 21[b] | Relegation to theFirst Division |
| 14 | Al-Hazem(R) | 26 | 1 | 3 | 22 | 13 | 70 | −57 | 6 |
| Home \ Away | AHL | ETT | FSY | FAT | HAZ | HIL | ITT | NSR | QAD | RAE | SHB | TWN | WHD | NAJ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Ahli | 5–1 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 2–1 | |
| Al-Ettifaq | 4–3 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | |
| Al-Faisaly | 3–2 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 2–3 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 4–2 | |
| Al-Fateh | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 2–0 | |
| Al-Hazem | 1–3 | 1–4 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 0–3 | 2–5 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 0–4 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 0–3 | |
| Al-Hilal | 3–3 | 1–0 | 5–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | |
| Al-Ittihad | 2–0 | 2–1 | 3–3 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 0–0 | 5–2 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | |
| Al-Nassr | 2–1 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 4–2 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 6–1 | |
| Al-Qadsiah | 1–3 | 0–3 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 2–3 | |
| Al-Raed | 2–3 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 0–4 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–4 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 3–2 | |
| Al-Shabab | 2–1 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 4–1 | 4–3 | 0–1 | |
| Al-Taawoun | 2–1 | 0–1 | 4–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 1–2 | 2–3 | |
| Al-Wehda | 1–3 | 0–1 | 3–3 | 3–0 | 8–1 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 2–3 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–0 | |
| Najran | 2–1 | 2–4 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 0–3 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 1–5 |
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[46] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Shabab | 17 | |
| 2 | Al-Ahli | 16 | |
| 3 | Al-Taawoun / Al-Ittihad | 14 | |
| Al-Wehda | |||
| Al-Ettifaq | |||
| 6 | Al-Faisaly | 13 | |
| Najran | |||
| 8 | Al-Ettifaq | 12 | |
| Al-Ittihad | |||
| 10 | Al-Hilal | 11 |
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Hilal | Al-Faisaly | 5–1 (H) | 25 August 2010 | [47] | |
| Al-Ittihad | Al-Hazem | 4–0 (H) | 29 August 2010 | [48] | |
| Al-Shabab | Al-Faisaly | 4–1 (H) | 11 November 2010 | [49] | |
| Al-Hilal | Al-Hazem | 3–0 (H) | 15 December 2010 | [50] | |
| Al-Faisaly | Al-Ittihad | 3–3 (A) | 16 December 2010 | [51] | |
| Al-Wehda | Al-Hazem | 8–1 (H) | 24 February 2011 | [52] | |
| Al-Wehda | Al-Hazem | 8–1 (H) | 24 February 2011 | [52] | |
| Al-Ettifaq | Najran | 4–2 (A) | 25 February 2011 | [53] | |
| Al-Shabab | Al-Hazem | 4–0 (A) | 1 April 2011 | [54] | |
| Al-Ahli | Al-Qadisiyah | 3–1 (A) | 2 April 2011 | [55] | |
| Al-Qadisiyah | Al-Raed | 4–1 (A) | 22 April 2011 | [56] |
4 Player scored 4 goals
(H) – Home team
(A) – Away team
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets[57] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Ittihad | 9 | |
| 2 | Al-Ettifaq | 8 | |
| Al-Hilal | |||
| 4 | Al-Taawoun | 6 | |
| 5 | Al-Nassr | 5 | |
| Al-Shabab | |||
| 7 | Al-Faisaly | 4 | |
| Al-Qadsiah | |||
| Al-Fateh | |||
| Al-Raed | |||
| Al-Ahli |
| Pos | Team | Total | High | Low | Average | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Hilal | 113,567 | 19,212 | 3,968 | 8,736 | n/a† |
| 2 | Al-Ittihad | 98,112 | 15,758 | 648 | 7,547 | n/a† |
| 3 | Al-Ahli | 97,770 | 16,350 | 1,158 | 7,521 | n/a† |
| 4 | Al-Raed | 89,306 | 14,909 | 2,395 | 6,870 | n/a† |
| 5 | Al-Taawoun | 87,002 | 15,160 | 2,610 | 6,692 | n/a† |
| 6 | Al-Nassr | 82,830 | 14,750 | 1,603 | 6,372 | n/a† |
| 7 | Al-Ettifaq | 57,138 | 21,174 | 628 | 4,395 | n/a† |
| 8 | Al-Fateh | 27,142 | 9,281 | 50 | 2,088 | n/a† |
| 9 | Al-Qadsiah | 26,508 | 9,361 | 100 | 2,039 | n/a† |
| 10 | Al-Wehda | 25,628 | 8,060 | 110 | 1,971 | n/a† |
| 11 | Al-Shabab | 22,481 | 9,366 | 46 | 1,729 | n/a† |
| 12 | Al-Faisaly | 17,175 | 5,022 | 83 | 1,321 | n/a† |
| 13 | Najran | 13,569 | 2,335 | 368 | 1,044 | n/a† |
| 14 | Al-Hazem | 6,934 | 2,413 | 6 | 533 | n/a† |
| League total | 765,162 | 21,174 | 6 | 4,204 | n/a† |
TheArriyadiyah andMobily Awards for Sports Excellence were awarded at the conclusion of the season for the fifth time since its inception in 2007. The awards were sponsored by Saudi newspaperArriyadiyah and Saudi telecommunication companyMobily. The awards were presented on 11 September 2011.[64]
| Award | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Player of the Season | Al-Hilal Al-Ettifaq Al-Taawoun | |
| Young Player of the Season | Al-Qadisiyah Al-Hilal Al-Raed | |
| Goldent Boot | Al-Shabab |
TheAl-Riyadiya Awards were awarded for the second time since its inception last year. The awards were presented on 15 June 2011.[65]