The terms and phrases mentioned below - wherever they appear in this Regulation - shall have the meanings specified next to each, unless the context requires otherwise:
The Kingdom: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Ministry: The Ministry of Sport.
The Minister: The Minister of Sport.
The Regulation: The Basic Regulation for Sports Clubs.
The Branch/Office: The branch/office of the Ministry in the region or governorate.
The Federation: A sports body with legal personality, supported by the state to achieve its goals materially.
The Club: A sports entity with independent legal personality licensed by the Ministry and a member of one or more sports federations, subject to the supervision and follow-up of the Ministry in administrative and financial matters.
The Electronic Platform: A digital portal supervised by the Ministry concerned with organizing membership registration procedures and the electoral process for the presidency and membership of the Board of Directors.
Persons with Disabilities: Individuals who suffer from limitations or impairments in physical or mental abilities that hinder them from engaging in certain activities performed by healthy individuals.
The Deaf: Individuals who experience a disability or deficiency in hearing that does not allow them to respond naturally to educational, social, and sports purposes except by using certain means.
The Member: A natural or legal person who pays an annual subscription to the club in exchange for their membership.
The General Assembly: The highest authority in the club, consisting of members who have the right to attend General Assembly meetings and vote.
The Board of Directors: The administrative body of the club, consisting of members elected by the General Assembly.
The Chief Executive: The person responsible for managing the daily affairs of the club before the Board of Directors, working full-time according to established work rules.
The Secretary of the Board: The person responsible for providing administrative support to the Board of Directors and assisting the Chairperson in organizing its work, without having voting authority.
The Assets: What the club owns the right to benefit from, including real estate, movable property, cash, and rights in rem.
The General Committee: A committee formed by a decision of the Minister, responsible for overseeing the electoral process for all sports clubs, and may establish sub-committees if necessary.
The Contestation and Violations Committee: A committee formed by a decision of the Minister, responsible for reviewing and deciding on contestations and violations related to the electoral process of clubs.
The Electoral Period: The duration that begins from the date of the start of the first stages of the electoral process determined by the General Committee and ends with the naming of the President and members of the Board of Directors.
The Election: The act of the voter casting their vote to choose one of the candidate lists for the presidency and membership of the Board of Directors.
The Voter: A member of the General Assembly who has the right to vote for one of the candidate lists and is registered on the voters' list.
The Candidate: A member of the General Assembly who submits a nomination request for the presidency or membership of the Board of Directors.
The Candidate List: A list containing the names of candidates for the presidency and membership of the Board of Directors.
The Ballot: A form in which the voter selects a list from among the candidate lists for the presidency and membership of the Board of Directors.
The Contestation: A written objection submitted to the Contestation and Violations Committee.
The Absolute Majority: The number of votes that exceeds half of the total votes eligible to vote or attend.
The Simple Majority: The number of votes that exceeds half of the total votes present that are eligible to vote or attend.
The Gold Membership: An annual membership offered by the club upon a prior request from the membership applicant in exchange for a payment of no less than (100,000) one hundred thousand riyals – excluding value-added tax – paid in a single, non-divisible installment.
The Silver Membership: An annual membership offered by the club upon a prior request from the membership applicant in exchange for a payment of no less than (50,000) fifty thousand riyals – excluding value-added tax – paid in a single, non-divisible installment.
The Bronze Membership: An annual membership offered by the club upon a prior request from the membership applicant in exchange for a payment of no less than (10,000) ten thousand riyals – excluding value-added tax – paid in a single, non-divisible installment.
The Basic Membership: An annual membership offered by the club upon a prior request from the membership applicant in exchange for a payment of (1,000) one thousand riyals – excluding value-added tax – and (500) five hundred riyals – excluding value-added tax – for clubs for the deaf and clubs for persons with disabilities.
The Financial Year: The financial year of the club begins at the start of July and ends at the end of June of the following year.
The Evidence: A guide for the procedures of receipt and delivery for sports clubs.
Conflict of Interest: A conflict between a private interest and the interest of the club that affects a person's ability to perform their duties and responsibilities or to make decisions or take actions objectively, fairly, and impartially, whether the conflict is actual, apparent, or potential.
The regulation aims to establish an effective regulatory framework for the governance of clubs, in order to achieve the following:
1- Activating the role of members in the club and facilitating the exercise of their rights.
2- Clarifying the competencies of the Board of Directors and the executive management and their responsibilities.
3- Achieving transparency, integrity, and fairness, and providing effective and balanced tools to deal with cases of conflict of interest.
4- Enhancing the contribution of sports clubs to community sports activities.
The provisions of this Regulation apply to all clubs - except for private commercial sports clubs and entities that are licensed by the Ministry - and are subject to its supervision.
1- The Ministry shall establish an electronic platform dedicated to organizing the procedures for registering memberships in the club, as well as the electoral process for the presidency and membership of the Board of Directors.
2- The electronic platform shall contain a special register for each club, and the club is obligated to upload all information, data, and procedures related to memberships and to update them periodically.
3- In the event of a technical malfunction in the electronic platform, the procedure that cannot be executed shall be extended for a duration equivalent to the duration of the malfunction. If the malfunction persists for more than three (3) consecutive days, it must be executed in a paper format under the supervision of the Ministry, or through any other electronic means recognized by the Ministry, provided that the actions taken are uploaded to the electronic platform as soon as the malfunction is resolved.
The organizational structure of the club consists of the following:
1- The General Assembly.
2- The Board of Directors.
3- The Executive Management.
1- Every club must adopt a name that is registered with the Ministry, and the following must be considered when choosing the club's name:
A- It must not include any words, meanings, or connotations that may affect public order or incite division, discord, or hatred.
B- The club's name must consist of words, letters, or Arabic numerals, or transliterated or non-Arabic characters, or a combination of one or more of the aforementioned.
C- It must not adopt a name that causes confusion between it and other clubs or any other entity.
D- The club's name must be written in both Arabic and English and included in the club's logo.
2- Every club must adopt a logo that is registered with the Ministry, and the following must be considered when choosing the club's logo:
A- The logo must meet the requirements for registration as a trademark in accordance with the Trademark Law and its executive regulations.
B- It must not adopt a logo that causes confusion between it and other clubs or any other entity.
3- Procedures for the approval of the club's name and logo:
A- The proposal for the club's name and logo is the responsibility of the Board of Directors, while the General Assembly is responsible for approving the proposed name and logo.
B- The club must submit its name and logo – approved by the General Assembly – to the Ministry for approval or for any action it deems appropriate.
C- When modifying the club's name or changing its logo, the provisions in paragraphs (1) and (2) of this article must be observed.
D- The club must use its approved name and logo in all its official dealings, correspondences, and communications.
The club aims to practice and promote sports, and to provide the necessary means and services to achieve its objectives, benefiting all members and the community within the framework of the state's general policy. The club may take all possible means according to the available resources to achieve its goals, particularly the following:
1- Encouraging all segments of society to practice and participate in various sports.
2- Participating in the promotion of competitive sports and engaging in community sports programs that positively reflect on the health and competitive level of citizens.
3- Discovering and developing sports talents.
4- Participating in national and social events.
5- Organizing and implementing courses, seminars, and sports activities that contribute to community service and its development and growth.
6- Encouraging and strengthening ties and relationships with other clubs through the exchange of experiences and participation in their public activities.
7- Cooperating with government and private sectors in all matters that would elevate the sports level and activate volunteer and youth activities.