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.



Liverpool Beats Lille to Reach Champions League Round of 16. Barcelona Wins 9-goal Thriller

Soccer Football - Champions League - Liverpool v Lille - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - January 21, 2025 Liverpool's Harvey Elliott celebrates with Mohamed Salah after scoring their second goal. REUTERS/Phil Noble
Soccer Football - Champions League - Liverpool v Lille - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - January 21, 2025 Liverpool's Harvey Elliott celebrates with Mohamed Salah after scoring their second goal. REUTERS/Phil Noble
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Liverpool Beats Lille to Reach Champions League Round of 16. Barcelona Wins 9-goal Thriller

Soccer Football - Champions League - Liverpool v Lille - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - January 21, 2025 Liverpool's Harvey Elliott celebrates with Mohamed Salah after scoring their second goal. REUTERS/Phil Noble
Soccer Football - Champions League - Liverpool v Lille - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - January 21, 2025 Liverpool's Harvey Elliott celebrates with Mohamed Salah after scoring their second goal. REUTERS/Phil Noble

Liverpool became the first team to guarantee a place in the last 16 of the new Champions League format by beating Lille 2-1 on Tuesday, while Barcelona fought back from two goals down to stun Benfica 5-4 in a thriller.
Harvey Elliott's bouncing, deflected shot gave Liverpool its seventh win from seven games, just after 10-man Lille had equalized following Mohamed Salah's opening goal, The Associated Press reported.
Liverpool needed a point at Anfield to be sure of reaching the round of 16 as one of the top eight teams in the league stage, skipping the playoff round for teams ranked ninth to 24th.
Salah raced through in the 34th minute to sweep Liverpool ahead with his 22nd goal in all competitions this season. And when Lille’s Aissa Mandi was sent off just before the hour mark, Liverpool looked certain to extend its 100% record in the league phase.
But Anfield was stunned when Canada striker Jonathan David converted from close range to level the score in the 62nd. It didn’t take long for Liverpool to regain the lead through Elliott’s deflected effort five minutes later.
Barcelona's comeback win Raphinha scored in stoppage time to complete a rousing comeback as Barcelona beat Benfica in Lisbon despite having been 4-2 down with less than a quarter of an hour remaining.
Benfica's Vangelis Pavlidis scored the third-fastest hat trick at the start of a Champions League game, with two of his goals coming after errors by Barcelona goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny. Barcelona stays second with 18 points from seven games.
Another Spanish club staged a comeback as Julian Alvarez scored a 90th-minute winner to lift Atletico Madrid past Bayer Leverkusen 2-1. Atletico lost Pablo Barrios to a 23rd-minute red card and went into half time 1-0 down to a Piero Hincapie header for Leverkusen.
Alvarez scored in the 52nd and had the momentum when Hincapie was sent off for a second yellow card, before Alvarez struck again to take the win and lift Atletico to third.
Villa slides out of the top eight With Prince William watching on, Aston Villa’s hopes of automatic qualification for the round of 16 took a blow after a 1-0 loss to Monaco.
Villa led the standings early in the league phase of the competition after winning its first three games. But defeat to Monaco left the Premier League club eighth. Wilfried Singo’s goal at a corner in the eighth minute was enough to secure the win for ninth-place Monaco.
Dortmund slump continues Borussia Dortmund's 2-1 loss at Bologna increased the pressure on coach Nuri Sahin in Dortmund's fourth consecutive loss at the start of the new year in all competitions.
Serhou Guirassy gave Dortmund the lead with a chipped penalty and ran to celebrate with Sahin.
It looked like the Champions League could provide a much-needed boost for a team floundering in the Bundesliga, but two goals in two minutes from Thijs Dallinga and Samuel Iling-Junior changed the game for previously winless Bologna.
Atalanta beat Austria's Sturm Graz 5-0, strengthening the Italian club's push to qualify directly for the round of 16. Atalanta finished the evening fourth.
PSV Eindhoven hung on for a 3-2 win at Red Star Belgrade despite losing defender Flamingo to a red card just after halftime while leading 3-0. Stuttgart eased to a 3-1 win over Slovan Bratislava, which has lost all seven of its games. Club Brugge and Juventus drew 0-0.
Europa League: In the only Europa League game of the night, Galatasaray missed a chance to go third in the table, giving up a 3-1 lead to draw 3-3 with last-place Dynamo Kyiv.