Al Ettifaq Club Stadium – stadium description

How did the Ettifaq Club stadium redevelopment come about?

In June 2021, the Saudi Ministry of Sports announced a plan to develop three smaller stadiums in the country. Among them was the venue belonging to the Ettifaq Club team from the city of Dammam, in addition, the Al Shabab stadium from Riyadh and Al Fateh stadium from Al-Mubarraz were also on the list.

What was the old Ettifaq Club stadium like?

The Ettifaq Club stadium opened in 1983, with an athletics track and two stands (the western one with a canopy), capable of holding 7,500 spectators. However, the club's first team mainly played at the much larger Prince Mohammed bin Fahad bin Abdulaziz Stadium, sometimes also at Prince Saud bin Jalawi Stadium.

The facility was named after Abdullah Al-Dabal, former president of Ettifaq Club and later a prominent football figure, among other things a 24-year member of the FIFA Executive Committee. After the redevelopment, however, the name Al Ettifaq Club Stadium is used to refer to the stadium.

The stadium is located in the so-called Dammam Sports City area. This area is actually located on the northern outskirts of the city of Khobar, which is part of the Dammam metropolitan area. Nearby is the Al Nahda club's facility and there are also plans to build a new Dammam Stadium.

When did the redevelopment of the Ettifaq Club stadium take place?

Thanks to a decision by the Ministry of Sport, the complete redevelopment of the stadium began in September 2021. Completion of the redevelopment was initially set for July 2022, but ultimately the opening had to wait until autumn 2023.

When did the rebuilt Ettifaq Club stadium open?

The inauguration of Ettifaq Club stadium after the redevelopment took place on November 4, 2023, on the occasion of a Saudi league match in which the hosts drew goalless against Al Raed.

What did the redevelopment of the Ettifaq Club stadium include?

The concept for the redevelopment of the Ettifaq Club stadium can be seen on a separate subpage

The redevelopment plan involved changing the layout of the stands to a more football-specific configuration. The west stand and a large section of the east stand were retained. The existing athletics track was removed. Behind the goals, new stands were built, connected by rounded corners to the east stand.

What does the Ettifaq Club stadium look like?

The stadium has a rectangular, football-specific layout. The main stand with VIP boxes is located on the west side and is separated from the other stands. As the stands along the pitch remained in place after the removal of the running track, they are still separated from the playing field by a considerable distance. The capacity of the reconstructed facility is 15,000 spectators.

Plastic seats were installed in the auditorium, forming a mosaic of the colors associated with the club: green, white and red. The auditorium received a white membrane canopy and four floodlighting masts were erected behind the corners. With the redevelopment, the stadium became the main venue of the Ettifaq Club.