Football in Qatar

Football in Qatar
Country Qatar
Governing body Qatar Football Association
National team men's national team
Clubs Qatar Stars League
International competitions
Qatar national football team in 2011.

Football in Qatar is organized by the Qatar Football Association (QFA).[1][2][3][4] Football is the number one sport in Qatar.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]

History

Introduction

Football was introduced to the country in 1948 when oil workers organized a match among themselves. The first football club was established in 1950 under the name 'Al-Najah', which went on to form Al Ahli. This was followed by the organization of the first football tournament in 1951 called 'Izz al-Din Championship' by the Qatar Oil Company. In the late 1950s, the name was changed to 'Pukett Cup'.[14]

The Qatar Football Association was formed in 1960 and the first league season was launched in 1963–64. League matches were played in Doha Stadium, which accommodated the first grass football pitch in the region.[14]

Spectatorship

Al Rayyan SC has one of the largest fan bases in the country.

Attendance at QSL matches ranges between 2,000 and 10,000, depending on the popularity of the teams.[15] In a 2014 survey conducted by Qatari government ministries and departments, 65% of the 1,079 respondents indicated that they did not attend a football match in the previous league season.[16] Lack of time, unsuitable atmospheres for females and the presence of paid fans were all major factors for not attending. The highest deterrent was climate, which was cited by seventy-three percent respondents as impacting their decision to attend a football match.[17]

As an initiative to gauge public opinion and increase local participation in sports with an emphasis on football, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) launched the Jeeran program in April 2015.[18] The program involves seeking the opinion and advice of people in majlises, as well as encouraging large-scale community involvement, particularly by women.[19]

Most successful teams

Successful teams

Team Total Number of Trophies Qatar Stars League Winners Emir Cup Winners Crown Prince Cup Winners Sheikh Jassem Cup Winners Qatari Stars Cup Winners
Al Sadd 42 12 (1971, 1974, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1987, 1988, 1989, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2007) 13 (1975, 1977, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1994, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007) 5 (1998, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008) 11 (1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1997, 1999, 2006) 1 (2010)
Al Arabi 22 7 (1983, 1985, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997) 8 (1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1989, 1990, 1993) 1 (1997) 6 (1980, 1982, 1994, 2008, 2010, 2011)
Al-Gharafa 18 7 (1993, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010) 6 (1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2009) 2 (2000, 2010) 2 (2005, 2007) 1 (2009)
Qatar SC 17 8 (1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971 1973, 1977, 2003) 2 (1974, 1976) 3 (2002, 2004, 2009) 4 (1983, 1984, 1987, 1995)
Al-Rayyan 16 7 (1976, 1978, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1990, 1995) 4 (1999, 2004, 2006, 2010) 3 (1995, 1996, 2001) 2 (1992, 2000)
Al-Wakrah 8 2 (1999, 2001) 1 (1999) 4 (1989, 1991, 1998, 2004) 1 (2012)
Al-Ahli (Doha) 4 4 (1973, 1981, 1987, 1992)
Al-Maref 3 3 (1964, 1965, 1966)
Al-Khor 2 1 (2005) 1 (2003)
Umm-Salal 2 1 (2008) 1 (2009)
Al-Shamal 1 1 (1996)

See also

References

  1. ↑ "ESPNsoccernet - Global - Qatar naturalisation plans annoy Blatter". Espnfc.com. 2004-03-08. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  2. ↑ "Football: Qatar enjoy fruits of imported foreign talent". News.asiaone.com. 2011-01-21. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  3. ↑ "The football 'invaders from Brazil' - CNN.com". Edition.cnn.com. 2009-01-19. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  4. ↑ Glenn Moore (2013-03-22). "Qatar targets historic feats on the pitch too - World Cup 2014 - Football". The Independent. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  5. ↑ "Men's Football League gains popularity in Education City". The Daily Q. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  6. ↑ Shane Brady. "What if they put on a World Cup in Qatar and nobody came?". Smh.com.au. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  7. ↑ Atkinson, Simon (2013-01-11). "BBC News - Qatar turns to football for fame and fans". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  8. ↑ Gregory, Sean (2013-07-11). "Why Qatar is Spending $200 Billion On Soccer | TIME.com". Keepingscore.blogs.time.com. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  9. ↑ "Qatar hopes to inspire more youngsters to play football | GulfNews.com". M.gulfnews.com. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  10. ↑ "Soccer: How Qatar became a player in world soccer - ESPN". Espn.go.com. 2010-12-23. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  11. ↑ "When Saturday Comes - The ambitious rise of Qatar as a football nation". Wsc.co.uk. 2011-12-01. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  12. ↑ "Qatar 2022 World Cup bid: a monied gameplan beyond one tournament | World news". theguardian.com. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  13. ↑ Blickenstaff, Brian (2011-09-14). "Qatar Football Dreams: Is it a humanitarian project or a scheme to buy Africa's best players?". Slate.com. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  14. 1 2 "History of football in Qatar". sc.qa. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  15. ↑ "Qatar Stars League attendances hit record high". Qatar Stars League. 23 Feb 2014.
  16. ↑ "The audience are reluctant to attend football matches at stadiums". qatarisbooming.com. 25 January 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  17. ↑ Amna Nasralla (11 February 2015). "Why People Do Not Attend Football Matches in Qatar". Qatar Sports Tanmiya. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  18. ↑ "SC promotes engagement plan at stadium launch". Gulf Times. 23 April 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  19. ↑ Sara Al-Thani (11 February 2015). "Breaking Barriers". Qatar Sports Tanmiya. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
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