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

• The Kingdom: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

• Ministry of Sport: The Ministry of Sport in the Kingdom.

• The League: The Saudi Professional League (SPL).

• The Board of Directors: The Board of Directors of the Saudi Professional League.

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

• The Constitution: The Constitution of the Saudi Professional League.

• The Regulation: The Regulatory Regulation for the Saudi Professional League Competition.

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

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

• Sports Arbitration Center: The Saudi Sports Arbitration Center.

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

• AFC: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

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

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

• The Player: A player registered with any club affiliated with the Federation and the League, in a professional status, who is entitled to register and participate in the Saudi Professional League.

• The Electronic System (SPLIS): An intelligent electronic system for managing competition matches, through which the list of players and officials is registered, in addition to creating reports for referees and observers and entering match results, and it allows use by all relevant parties.

• The Referee: The person appointed by the Federation to officiate and manage a match within the competition, as well as the assisting crew officially approved by the Federation or the Federation of their country and registered in its records, including the main referee, the first assistant referee, the second assistant referee, the fourth official, and the referees responsible for the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology.

• Referee Assessor: The person appointed by the Federation to evaluate the performance of referees during the match from a technical perspective according to the Laws of the Game.

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

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

• Media Coordinator for the Match: The person appointed by the League to handle media matters for the match and organize procedures for press conferences, the mixed zone, television interviews, and supervise them in coordination with the match observer.

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

• Outside the Field: The area that starts from the end of the inside of the field to the outer walls of the stadium, including but not limited to parking lots, fan 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 between the sounding of the starting whistle for the match and the sounding of the final whistle.

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

• The Official: Any person other than players who engages in activities related to football within the Federation, League, or Club, 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, intermediaries, professional managers, as well as members of boards of directors and honorary members of clubs, and Federation personnel including board members, committees, contractors, collaborators, and the General Secretariat of the Federation, in addition to bodies and associations affiliated with the Federation and others.

• Match Officials: The referee, assistant referees, fourth official, Video Assistant Referee (VAR) officials, match observer, referee assessor, match coordinator, media coordinator for the match, security personnel, and any other persons appointed by the Federation or the League to assume responsibilities related to the match.

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

• The Season: The period during which the Saudi Professional League 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 League, granting the holder the right to be present inside the stadium.

• 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 stadium.

• 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 in its starting list for the match.

• The Visiting Club: The club playing the match away from home, whose name appears second in the match schedule.

• The Host Club: The club playing the match at home, whose name appears first in the match schedule.

• Competitions Management: The department responsible within the League for organizing, operating, and supervising the competition.

• The Competition: The Saudi Professional League.

• The Champion: The club that wins the title of the competition.

• 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 adverse 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 Management, which specifies the dates, times, and venues for the matches of the competition:

• The Official Website of the League: www.spl.com.sa

A. The association is responsible for organizing, managing, and supervising the entire competition, as well as handling the commercial, marketing, operational, and media matters, in accordance with the regulations and rules of the federation and the association.

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

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

D. Any reference to the basic law of the federation or the association or any of their regulations refers to those applicable or amended regulations and rules at any time.

1. The association is responsible for the following matters:

• 1/ 1 Organizing and managing the competition and supervising it.

• 1/ 2 Supervising and organizing the operation of commercial and marketing rights for the competition.

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

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

• 1/ 5 Issuing identification cards for clubs, their affiliates, match officials, and representatives of licensed entities.

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

• 1/ 7 Covering travel, transfer, accommodation, food, and all other expenses related to match observers, coordinators, and media coordinators.

• 1/ 8 Selecting the approved design of the competition ball and providing it to all participants in the competition. 

• 1/ 9 Approving proposals related to 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 conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Professional Players Regulations of the federation and FIFA during the approved summer and/or winter transfer periods after completing all legal procedures, ensuring this approval is done in the 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 Covering travel, transfer, accommodation, food, and all other expenses related to match referees and referee assessors.

1. The Board of Directors shall form, based on the proposal of the President, a special administration concerned with the competition, and the members of this administration shall be from the executive staff of the association.

2. The Competition Administration shall consist of three (3) to five (5) individuals.

3. This administration shall be headed by a director appointed based on his academic qualifications and his continental or international experience in football and organizing sports competitions and related fields. It is required that the members of the administration have expertise and experience in areas related to sports competitions such as organizing, operating, and broadcasting matches.

Every club participating in this competition is obligated to the following:

• A- Adhere to all obligations stipulated in the basic regulations of the federation and the association, as well as all regulations, decisions, instructions, and circulars issued by the association and the federation.

• B- Comply with the laws of the game as stipulated by the International Football Association Board and adopted by the federation or the association accordingly.

• C- 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 and rules governing their jurisdiction.

• D- Commit to achieving all professional standards and requirements set by the Asian Football Confederation in addition to the local standards and requirements issued and approved by the federation and/or the association, ensuring that there is no conflict between local and Asian requirements.

• E- Fully comply with all commercial and organizational contracts concluded by the association related to the competition.

• F- Acknowledge the powers and decisions of the Sports Arbitration Center and commit to implementing all of them.

• G- Adhere to the stipulated percentage of seats allocated for the fans of each club in the match, which is (70% for the host club at most and 30% for the guest club at most), unless both teams agree otherwise, provided that the association is notified in writing of any other agreement between the two parties at least seven days before the match, with a ticket pricing of (15%) of the host club's tickets and (15%) of the guest club's tickets as stipulated in the regulatory controls issued and approved by the Ministry of Sport - at a fixed price not exceeding (30) Saudi Riyals.

• H- Observe the principles of fair play and sportsmanship.

• I- Ensure that unauthorized persons are not present inside the stadium, changing rooms, and designated technical areas in each stadium.

• J- Assume responsibility for the behavior of its players, officials, fans, and any person representing the club throughout the competition.

• K- Ensure that none of its players or officials participate in any activity that may harm or affect the integrity of the competition and any activity that is offensive to the values, sports ethics, and public morals in force within the Kingdom.

• L- Submit the starting list for the match and the official list of officials in accordance with the procedures and times stipulated in these regulations.

• M- Accept all arrangements made by the association and/or the federation.

• N- Attend and participate in all official activities and events, including but not limited to any technical or organizational meeting, press conferences, media and marketing activities, and celebrations in accordance with the instructions and the media regulations approved by the association.

• O- Provide the association with statistics and images of the players and officials affiliated with the club, as well as information related to the club and any other data requested by the association within the timeframe specified by the association. The association may withhold the issuance of related cards and necessary permits for entering the stadiums for any violator, in addition to referring the matter to the Disciplinary and Ethics Committee.

• P- In the event of an official award ceremony organized by the association, all selected players and officials must attend the ceremony, and the club will be responsible if any of them fail to attend.