A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| Season | 2008–09 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 13 September 2008 – 12 April 2009 |
| Champions | Al-Ittihad (8th title) |
| Relegated | Abha Al-Watani |
| AFC Champions League | Al-Ittihad Al-Hilal Al-Ahli Al-Shabab |
| Gulf Club Champions Cup | Al-Nassr Al-Ettifaq |
| Matches played | 134 |
| Goals scored | 371 (2.77 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Nasser Al-Shamrani Hicham Aboucherouane (12 goals each) |
| Biggest home win | Al-Hilal 7–0 Najran (20 December 2008) |
| Biggest away win | Al-Raed 0–4 Al-Shabab (30 November 2008) Al-Shabab 0–4 Al-Ittihad (28 January 2009) |
| Highest scoring | Al-Ittihad 7–2 Al-Watani (15 December 2008) Al-Raed 6–3 Al-Wehda (8 April 2009) |
| Longest winning run | 5 games[1] Al-Ittihad |
| Longest unbeaten run | 18 games[1] Al-Hilal |
| Longest winless run | 12 games[1] Abha |
| Longest losing run | 5 games[1] Al-Raed |
2009–10 → | |
The 2008–09 Saudi Professional League was the 33rd season of Saudi Professional League since its establishment in 1976. Al-Hilal were the defending champions, having won their 11th title in the previous season. The campaign began on 13 September 2008 and ended on 12 April 2009. A total of 12 teams contested the league, 10 of which already contested in the 2007–08 season, and two of which were promoted from the First Division.
On 12 April 2009, in the final round of the season, Al-Ittihad won the title after a 2–1 victory over Al-Hilal.[2] It was their eighth league title overall. Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal, Al-Ahli and Al-Shabab all secured a berth for the 2010 AFC Champions League, while Al-Nassr and Al-Ettifaq qualified for the 2009–10 Gulf Club Champions Cup. Al-Watani and Abha were relegated to the First Division.[3]
Changes
Professional League rebrand
On 26 May 2008, the Saudi FF announced that league would be rebranded and would be known as the Saudi Professional League. The changes were based on the criteria introduced by AFC President Mohammed bin Hammam to improve the football standards in Asia.[4] The changes also included a website dedicated to recording statistics of the league for the first time. It was also announced that the website would be run by the Saudi Professional League rather than the Saudi FF.[5]
Qualification and Prize money
The League champions, runners-up and third place as well as the winner of the King Cup of Champions qualified for the 2010 AFC Champions League.
The top eight teams qualified for King Cup of Champions.
Prize money:
- First place: 2.5 million Saudi Riyals
- Second place: 1.5 million Saudi Riyals
- Third place: 1 million Saudi Riyals
Teams
Twelve teams competed in the league – the top ten teams from the previous season and the two teams promoted from the First Division. The promoted teams were Al-Raed (returning to the top flight after an absence of five years) and Abha (returning to the top flight after an absence of two years). They replaced Al-Tai (after seven consecutive years in the top-flight) and Al-Qadisiyah (after six consecutive years in the top-flight).
Stadiums and locations
Personnel
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Replaced by | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abha |  Abdelkader Youmir
|
Sacked[6] |  Saad Al-Beshri (caretaker)
|
October 2008 |
| Al-Watani |  Moussa Saïb
|
Sacked[7] |  Habib Ben Romdhane (caretaker)
|
October 2008 |
| Al-Watani | Habib Ben Romdhane
|
Caretaker period ended[8] |  Hélio Vieira
|
November 2008 |
| Abha | Saad Al-Beshri
|
Caretaker period ended | Idris Obeis
|
November 2008 |
| Al-Shabab |  Nery Pumpido
|
Sacked[9] | Enzo Trossero
|
December 2008 |
| Al-Nassr |  Rodion Gačanin
|
Sacked[10] | Edgar (caretaker)
|
December 2008 |
| Al-Raed | Mohammed Aldo
|
Sacked[11] | Luiz Antonio
|
December 2008 |
| Al-Ettifaq |  Toni
|
Sacked[12] |  Ioan Andone
|
December 2008 |
| Najran | Costică Ștefănescu
|
Sacked[13] | Mokhtar Tlili
|
January 2009 |
| Al-Nassr | Edgar
|
Caretaker period ended[14] | Edgardo Bauza
|
January 2009 |
| Al-Hilal | Cosmin Olaroiu
|
Sacked[15] | Catalin Necula (caretaker)
|
March 2009 |
| Al-Hilal | Catalin Necula
|
Caretaker period ended[16] |  Georges Leekens
|
April 2009 |
Foreign players
The number of foreign players was limited to 3 per team, and should not be a goalkeeper. For the January transfer window, the SAFF added an additional slot for a player from one of the AFC countries.
Players name in bold indicates the player is registered during the mid-season transfer window.
