NEOM Introduces NEOM Sports Club; Alohali Named Club’s CEO

NEOM Sports Club is expected to play a pivotal role in achieving NEOM’s broader sports objectives.
NEOM Sports Club is expected to play a pivotal role in achieving NEOM’s broader sports objectives.
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NEOM Introduces NEOM Sports Club; Alohali Named Club’s CEO

NEOM Sports Club is expected to play a pivotal role in achieving NEOM’s broader sports objectives.
NEOM Sports Club is expected to play a pivotal role in achieving NEOM’s broader sports objectives.

Following the June announcement of the ownership transfer of Al Suqor Club to NEOM, the company revealed on Sunday that the new name will be NEOM Sports Club with a new logo to reflect the name change.

NEOM also announced that Moaath Alohali has been named CEO of the club after leaving his tenure as CEO of the Saudi Pro League team, Al Ettifaq.

The club’s ownership transfer is part of the Kingdom’s privatization plans for sports clubs recently announced by Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince and Prime Minister. The plans aim to develop and promote the sports industry and encourage the private sector to become more invested in it, in line with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.

NEOM Sports Club is expected to play a pivotal role in achieving NEOM’s broader sports objectives and underscores the project’s commitment to supporting local Saudi talent as it becomes a global hub for sports.

Chairman of NEOM Sports Club Meshari Al-Motairi said: “NEOM Sports Club provides us with an opportunity to positively contribute to developing sport in the Kingdom and help achieve the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.”

“In NEOM, sport is a key contributor to a new form of livability, focusing on using sport as a tool for social growth, shaping lifestyle, uniting communities and contributing to NEOM’s dynamic economy,” he added.

“Announcing the new name and logo of the club marks a major milestone for NEOM in realizing its sports objectives, which include investing in active lifestyles and promoting sporting entities,” he said.

“We look forward to honoring the history of the club and its close ties to the local community whilst engaging the best talent and coaches to deliver high-performance athletes and players by providing a comprehensive and future-thinking high-performance ecosystem as guided by our vision.”

CEO of NEOM Sports Club Moaath Alohali said: “Today is a momentous occasion for the club, and we are proud to be a part of it. Our commitment to sport has been evident throughout our history, and alongside NEOM, we now have the opportunity to expand our expertise, grow as a football club and serve our community with several sports that cater to all ages.”

NEOM Sports Club has already made several achievements in multiple sports. In football, the club is currently top of their group in the Second League Division. The club’s youth football team has been competing to qualify for the Saudi Pro League, along with its female team, which was inaugurated and entered the first division. The team are currently focused on achieving promotion to the Women’s Premier League.

The teams at the club competing in badminton for youth and billiards have successfully been promoted to their respective premier leagues. Additionally, the club’s volleyball team is also competing this year for promotion. The club has recently established several basketball teams across different divisions, one of which is for women, in addition to inaugurating a handball academy. In terms of awards, the club won four medals, following participation in six different competitions during the Saudi Games.

Founded in 1965 as Al Suqor Club, the NEOM Sports Club’s Football Team currently competes in the Second Division of the Saudi Pro League. Playing its home matches at the King Khalid Sport City Stadium in Tabuk, its players are predominantly Saudi nationals. Its well-known previous players include Fahad Abo Jaber, Saod Al-Kaebari, and Mohammad Al-Shamrani.

NEOM Sports Club is currently home to 13 different sports, including football, basketball, martial arts and table tennis, with teams and sessions available for men, women and children of all ages.



By the Numbers: How This Might Be the Weakest Bottom Three in Premier League History 

Football - Premier League - Tottenham Hotspur v Southampton - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain - April 6, 2025 Southampton manager Ivan Juric looks on after the match. (Action Images via Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Tottenham Hotspur v Southampton - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain - April 6, 2025 Southampton manager Ivan Juric looks on after the match. (Action Images via Reuters)
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By the Numbers: How This Might Be the Weakest Bottom Three in Premier League History 

Football - Premier League - Tottenham Hotspur v Southampton - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain - April 6, 2025 Southampton manager Ivan Juric looks on after the match. (Action Images via Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Tottenham Hotspur v Southampton - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain - April 6, 2025 Southampton manager Ivan Juric looks on after the match. (Action Images via Reuters)

It seems like it’s never been harder for promoted teams to stay in the Premier League.

It looks fairly certain that the three promoted teams will be relegated to the Championship after just one season for the second straight year. That's never previously happened in the Premier League era (since 1992).

Last season, it was Sheffield United, Burnley and Luton.

This season, Southampton’s relegation has already been confirmed — in record fashion — while Leicester and Ipswich are so far adrift of safety that they have little chance of surviving. Ipswich, in third-to-last place, is 12 points behind fourth-to-last Wolverhampton with seven games remaining.

The combined points tally of Southampton (10), Leicester (17) and Ipswich (20) would barely get them into mid-table, backing up a growing argument that this might be the weakest crop of promoted teams the Premier League has ever seen.

Here’s a by-the-numbers look at how bad their seasons have been:

Southampton

3 Southampton is already on its third manager of the season, after Ivan Juric was fired on Monday and replaced by Simon Rusk on an interim basis. It started the season with Russell Martin in charge but he was replaced by Juric in December.

7 The Saints were relegated with seven games remaining, and that’s a record. No team has ever been confirmed to go down with seven or more games to play, according to stats supplier Opta.

10 The number of points Southampton has. The race is on to beat the lowest points tally ever by a team in the Premier League era: Derby County’s 11 from the 2007-08 season.

25 The number of losses by Southampton, in 31 games played.

Leicester

8 Leicester’s 3-0 defeat to Newcastle on Monday meant the team has lost eight straight home games in the league without scoring. That’s never happened before in the top four divisions of English soccer.

11 Leicester has lost 11 homes games in a single league campaign for the first time.

72 It is now 72 days since Leicester scored — home or away — in the Premier League. The last player to hit the back of the net was Bilal El Khannouss against Tottenham on Jan. 26.

Ipswich

6 Ipswich has been beaten in each of its last six homes game, the team's longest losing run at home since 1963. The latest was against Wolves, 2-1, on Saturday.

11 The number of home losses for Ipswich this season, from 16 games.

140 Ipswich spent about 109 million pounds ($140 million) to bring in 10 players in the summer transfer window. Only Brighton spent more in the Premier League.