The meanings of the following words and phrases, wherever they appear in this Regulation, are as defined next to each of them. References to the singular apply to the plural and vice versa, unless the context requires otherwise:

• The Kingdom: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

• The Ministry: The Ministry of Sport.

• The Association: The Executive Administration of the First Division Professional Clubs Association (FDL).

• The President of the Association: The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the First Division Professional Clubs Association.

• The Board of Directors: The Board of Directors of the First Division Professional Clubs Association.

• The Federation: The Saudi Football Federation (SAFF).

• The Bylaws: The Bylaws of the First Division Professional Clubs Association.

• The Competitions Committee: The Competitions Committee of the First Division Professional Clubs Association.

• The Regulation: The Organizational Regulation of the First Division Professional Clubs League.

• The Disciplinary and Ethics Committee: The Disciplinary and Ethics Committee of the Saudi Football Federation.

• The Disciplinary and Ethics Regulation: The Disciplinary and Ethics Regulation of the Saudi Football Federation.

• The Sports Arbitration Center: The Saudi Sports Arbitration Center.

• FIFA: The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA).

• The Asian Federation: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

• The Laws of the Game: The laws issued by the International Football Association Board (IFAB).

• The Club: A sports institution or company with a legal personality officially licensed by the Minister of Sport and approved by the Federation and the Association.

• The Player: A player registered with any club affiliated with the Federation and the Association who is eligible to register and participate in the competition.

• The Electronic System (SPLIS): An intelligent electronic system for managing competition matches, which includes registering the list of players and officials, creating reports for referees and observers, and entering match results, and is available for use by all relevant parties.

• The Referee: The person appointed by the Federation to officiate and manage the match, along with the assisting team officially recognized by the Federation or the relevant national federation, and registered in its records. This includes the main referee, the first assistant referee, the second assistant referee, the fourth official, and the officials responsible for the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology.

• The Referee Observer: The person appointed by the Association to handle the administrative matters of the match, including registering players on the match sheet, applying player and official cards, verifying their identities, and recording disciplinary violations and other procedures before, during, and after the match.

• The General Match Coordinator: The person appointed by the Association to handle organizational and coordination matters and assist match officials and observers in their tasks.

• The Media Coordinator for the Match: The person appointed by the Association to handle media matters for the match and organize procedures for press conferences, the mixed zone, television interviews, and oversee them.

• Inside the Field: The area that includes the green rectangle and surrounding areas for the technical and administrative staff, players, the track, and the corridors leading to the changing rooms.

• Outside the Field: The area that starts from the end of the inside field to the outer walls of the field, including but not limited to parking lots, celebrity gathering areas, internal and external gates, restrooms, and restaurants.

• Before the Match: The time between the arrival of players and officials at the stadium and the sounding of the starting whistle for the match.

• During the Match: The time from the sounding of the starting whistle until the sounding of the final whistle.

• After the Match: The time from the sounding of the final whistle until the players and officials leave the stadium.

• The Official: Any person other than players who engages in activities related to football within the Federation, or any body, club, or association, regardless of their position and the duration or type of activity (administrative, sports, media, or any other activity), including administrative, technical, and medical staff, assistant employees, consultants, agents, professional managers, as well as members of boards of directors, honorary members of clubs, and Federation personnel from board members, committees, contractors, collaborators, and the General Secretariat of the Federation, in addition to bodies and associations affiliated with the Federation and others.

• The Match Officials: The referee, assistant referees, fourth official, VAR officials, match observer, referee observer, match coordinator, media coordinator for the match, and any other persons appointed by the Federation or the Association to perform responsibilities related to the match.

• The Persons Subject to the Regulation: Clubs, club officials, players, match officials, licensed media, commercial, and organizational entities.

• The Sports Season: The period during which the competition takes place according to the match schedule, starting from the first official match in the competition and ending with the last official match in the competition.

• The Identification Card: A card or equivalent issued by the Association, granting the holder the right to be present inside the field.

• The Starting List for the Match: The list containing the names of the starting and substitute players and officials participating in the match who are entitled to sit on the bench and be present inside the field.

• The Official List of Officials: The list containing the names of the official representatives of the club during the season who are entitled to register on the starting list for the match.

• The Host Club: The club that plays the match at its home ground and is listed first in the match schedule.

• The Guest Club: The club that plays the match away from home and is listed second in the match schedule.

• The Competition: The First Division Professional Clubs League.

• Promotion Playoff Matches: A system of matches that determines the holder of the third promotion card to the higher division, which is an integral part of the competition.

• The Champion: The club that finishes in first place in the final standings of the competition.

• Refusal to Play an Official Match: The act of a club refusing to play an official match before the match starts.

• Withdrawal from Playing an Official Match: The act of a club withdrawing from an official match before the match starts.

• The Field: The area that includes the green rectangle as described in Law No. (1) of the Laws of the Game issued by the International Football Association Board.

• Force Majeure: Any unexpected emergency event beyond control that leads to the suspension, prevention, or postponement of a match or competition, including but not limited to weather conditions, lighting failures, flight conditions, or any other circumstances with similar characteristics.

• The Match Schedule: The schedule of matches for the competition issued by the Competitions Committee, which specifies the dates, times, and venues for the matches.

• The Local License: A certificate issued by the licensing authority confirming that the license applicant meets the minimum standards for club licensing as part of the procedures for joining the Saudi Professional League or the First Division League.

• The Licensing Authority: The entity that manages the First Division Club Licensing System and grants licenses to applicants in accordance with the First Division Club Licensing Regulation.

• The Association's Website: www.fdl.sa

1. The association shall organize and manage the competition, and shall also oversee the management and organization of commercial, marketing, operational, and media matters, in accordance with the laws and regulations of the federation and the association.

2. This regulation stipulates the rights, duties, and responsibilities of the association, the federation, the clubs, the officials, and the players in the competition.

3. This regulation and all regulations, laws, decisions, instructions, and circulars approved by the Board of Directors of the federation and/or the association related to the competition are binding on all individuals subject to this regulation.

4. Any reference to the charter of the federation or the association or any of their regulations refers to those laws and regulations in effect at the time of application.

1. The association is responsible for the following matters:

• 1/ 1 Organizing and managing the competition.

• 1/ 2 Organizing and managing the commercial and marketing rights of the competition.

• 1/ 3 Organizing and managing the media matters and procedures for the competition.

• 1/ 4 Appointing the match supervisor, the general coordinator, and the media coordinator for each match.

• 1/ 5 Issuing identification cards.

• 1/ 6 Providing the Disciplinary and Ethics Committee of the federation with reports on cases involving disciplinary violations.

• 1/ 7 Travel, transfer, accommodation, subsistence costs, and all other expenses related to match supervisors, coordinators, and media coordinators.

• 1/ 8 Selecting and providing the official football for the competition matches.

• 1/ 9 Proposing suggestions for the development of the competition.

• 1/ 10 Any other responsibilities and authorities stipulated in these regulations.

2. The federation is responsible for the following matters:

• 2/ 1 Approving the registration of players in accordance with the Professional Players and Player Status Regulations of the federation and FIFA, during the approved summer and/or winter transfer periods after completing all legal procedures, provided that this approval is done in the SPLIS electronic system.

• 2/ 2 Reviewing and adjudicating disciplinary cases through the Disciplinary and Ethics Committee in accordance with the provisions of the Disciplinary and Ethics Regulations.

• 2/ 3 Appointing referees and referee assessors for each match.

• 2/ 4 Travel, transfer, accommodation, subsistence costs, and all other expenses related to match referees and referee assessors.

1. The Competitions Committee is a permanent non-consultative committee formed by the Board of Directors according to the procedures stipulated in the bylaws, and the committee consists of three to five members, including the chairperson of the committee.

3. Following the appointment of the chairperson of the Competitions Committee, the latter shall appoint his deputy from among the other appointed members.

The Competitions Committee is responsible for the following:

• 1. Approving the competition calendar, match schedule, venues, and timings, and making amendments as necessary.

• 2. Approving the results of the competition matches.

• 3. Deciding on cases related to the suspension of matches or their non-holding due to compelling reasons, and consulting with the relevant authorities when necessary.

• 4. Approving the final ranking of the competition and any other sports arrangements not under the jurisdiction of other committees.

• 5. Proposing any suggestions aimed at developing the competition and submitting them to the Executive Director for presentation to the Board of Directors for consideration and decision.

• 6. Any other responsibilities assigned to it under this regulation or other regulations of the association or federation.

1. The Competitions Committee meets periodically and whenever necessary at the invitation of its President or his representative, and the meeting is considered valid with the presence of the absolute majority of the committee members, including the President or his representative.

2. The Competitions Committee may invite individuals to attend its sessions whom it deems necessary for the matters presented before it, without granting them the right to vote.

3. Decisions of the Competitions Committee are issued by the absolute majority of the votes of those present, and in the event of a tie, the side with the President is favored. The Competitions Committee may also issue its decisions through email or any other written communication method that is not verbal.

4. All decisions of the Competitions Committee are final, effective, and not subject to appeal.

1. Each club participating in this competition is obligated to the following:

• 1/ 1 To observe all obligations stipulated in the basic regulations of the federation and the association, as well as all regulations, decisions, and instructions issued by the association and/or the federation.

• 1/ 2 To comply with the laws of the game as stipulated by the International Football Association Board, which are published by FIFA.

• 1/ 3 To accept that all administrative, disciplinary, and arbitration matters related to the competition are resolved by the federation and/or the association in accordance with the regulations governing each of them according to their jurisdiction.

• 1/ 4 To fully comply with all contracts signed by the association related to the competition with any party.

• 1/ 5 To acknowledge the Sports Arbitration Center.

• 1/ 6 To adhere to the prescribed ratio of seats allocated to the fans of each club in the match, which is (70% for the host club and 30% for the visiting club), unless both teams agree otherwise.

• 1/ 7 To observe the principles of fair play and sportsmanship.

• 1/ 8 To ensure that unauthorized persons are not present inside the stadium and changing rooms.

• 1/ 9 To bear responsibility for the conduct of its players and the responsibility of its supporters and any person representing the club throughout the competition.

• 1/ 10 To guarantee that none of its players or officials participate in any activity that may harm or affect integrity.

• 1/ 11 To submit the match starting list and the official list of officials in accordance with the procedures and times stipulated in these regulations.

• 1/ 12 To accept all arrangements approved by the association and/or the federation.

• 1/ 13 To attend and participate in all official activities and events, including but not limited to any technical or organizational meetings, press conferences, media and marketing activities, and celebrations in accordance with the instructions issued by the association.

• 1/ 14 To provide statistics and images of the players and officials affiliated with the club and any other data requested by the association within the timeframe specified.

• 1/ 15 In the event of an official awards ceremony held by the association or any other party approved by it, all selected players and officials must attend the ceremony, and the club shall bear responsibility if any of them fail to attend.