RSL Debutants: How teams have fared in first top-flight season

Al Kholood will create history this Roshn Saudi League season when they add their name to the pantheon of clubs to have played in the Saudi Pro League era.

Finishing third in the First Division League last season, they become the second club from the 120,000 people city of Ar Rass to ever play in the RSL, although miss out on a local derby after Al Hazem went the other way at the end of the 2023-24 campaign.

As debutants, there will be much intrigue as to how Al Kholood fare in the top flight once the 2024-25 season kicks off on August 22. To get a gauge, we look back on some of the other debutants to have also made their top-flight debut in the SPL era.

Al Okhdood – 2023-24

While Al Kholood became the latest club to join the SPL fraternity, one of the most recent “inductees” came last season when Al Okhdood competed in the RSL for the first time.

As can often be the case for newly promoted clubs, life at the top wasn’t always easy. The Najran side won only one of their first nine matches, putting them on the back foot from the get-go. However, there were high spots throughout the season, and ultimately, survival.

Three wins and a draw from the final five games before the mid-season break saw Al Okhdood climb clear of the relegation zone. An upset 3-2 victory against Jeddah giants Al Ahli upon resumption continued their good form, although they quickly came back to earth with a run of eight matches without success.

Two managers later, a win on the final day against Al Tai saw Al Okhdood escape relegation by a solitary point, and they are back this season for another campaign in the top tier. Their maiden season will always be remembered for THAT run by Algerian coach Noureddine Benzekri.

Al Ain – 2020-21

Al Ain, not to be confused with the UAE side, from the southwestern province of Al Bahah, made their first and only appearance in the RSL back in 2020-21. That came after finishing third in the second tier the previous campaign.

Once in the RSL, however, they found life tough at the top. Al Ain completed the 30-game season with only five wins to their name, sitting bottom for 21 of the 30 weeks of the season. There were merely flickers of their promise, with back-to-back wins over Damac and Al Raed, while there were also victories against Al Taawoun and Al Ettifaq.

They were few and far between, however, and Al Ain finished the season in 16th place, 12 points behind their nearest competitor. Things have not gotten much better since, with relegation from the First Division League at the end of last season consigning Al Ain to life in the third tier.

Al Adalah – 2019-20

Al Adalah, from Al Ahsa in the Eastern Province, earned their first promotion to the RSL after finishing third in the 2018-19 First Division League.

Their start to life in the RSL was impressive, earning a 1-1 draw on debut against Al Ahli, and picking up two further wins in their opening four games to be sitting third after Matchweek 4.

That was as good as it got, though: they followed their positive start with a run of 17 games without a victory. As a result, Al Adalah sank to the bottom of the table, a position from which they never recovered.

In a season impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, they managed only two more wins for the season, ultimately finishing last with four victories and scoring just 27 goals.

Al Fayha – 2017-18

Champions of the 2016-17 First Division League, Al Fayha, unlike most teams on this list, have largely been able to maintain their spot in the RSL since earning promotion.

They did suffer relegation at the end of the 2019-20 season but came straight back up the following season and have remained ever since.

Despite a slow start to the 2017-18 campaign, winning just one of their opening 10 matches, Al Fayha managed impressively to turn their fortunes around. That poor start was followed by winning five of their next seven, including huge back-to-back victories over Al Hilal and Al Ittihad, and a further win against Al Nassr.

Losing only once in the new year ensured they kept their place in the league for the following season, finishing well clear of the relegation zone and above the storied clubs of Al Ittihad and Al Shabab. Not only that, their Chilean striker Ronnie Fernandez netted 13 goals that campaign, finishing as the RSL's top scorer, the only time ever an Al Fayha player won the accolade.

Al Batin – 2016-17 

Another club from the Eastern Province, this time from Hafar al Batin in the northeast near the Kuwait border, Al Batin only just survived their first season in the top flight.

Their first match was an unenviable trip to Riyadh to face Al Hilal, which ended in a 2-0 defeat, but they didn’t have to wait long for their first win, which came at home a week later against Al Shabab - Jou Silva scoring the first of his 12 goals for the season.

A win over Al Nassr in one of the final games of the season proved pivotal to their survival hopes, edging them momentarily out of the relegation zone. While they finished the season third last, they secured enough points to survive automatic relegation, instead facing the gauntlet of the Promotion-Relegation Play-off against Najran.

A 1-0 win on the road, followed by a 2-2 draw at home, was enough to scrape through and maintain their place in the RSL, which they maintained until 2018-19 before returning to the second tier.

Al Orobah – 2013-14

Al Orobah are back in the RSL this season after earning promotion last season, but their debut campaign actually came more than a decade ago after winning the First Division League the season prior.

From Sakakah in the north of the country, like Al Batin their first RSL game also came on the road against Al Hilal and also ended in defeat. And just like Al Batin, they followed that up with an impressive victory at home, coming against Al Ittihad.

For a team that finished eighth, wins were surprisingly few and far between in their debut season, managing only five throughout the 26-game campaign. Goals were also in scarce supply, with their tally of 24 the second lowest in the league.

That sounds like a recipe for relegation, but what kept Al Orobah afloat was a remarkable 14 draws throughout the season.

So, while they weren’t winning many matches, they were still more often than not collecting points along the way and, in a season where only six points separated sixth and 13th, those 14 draws were absolutely invaluable to their survival.