Al Ahly Sporting Club's First Administrative Committee
Al Ahly Sporting Club has been operating for more than 113 years, with each year witnessing new successes and achievements on various levels.
A vast history that was built on the shoulders of the club’s talented players, passionate and loyal fans across the nation, and Al Ahly’s respectable figures who cemented the institution’s values year after year.
However, where did it all begin? Who are the founding fathers of the club? How did it start?
What was Egypt like before 1907?
The story goes all the way back to the end of the 19th century and the start of the 20th century, when most sports clubs either targeted foreign citizens or Egyptians from the upper class.
At the start of the 20th century, Egypt was under British occupation and Abbas Helmy II was the ruler of the nation. Moreover, Egypt had a population of around 11 million people and less than 700,000 people lived in Cairo.
Of those people living in Cairo, a group of students and high school graduates came together to establish what was known as the High School Students Club, where they discussed several political and non-political issues that concerned the greater good of the nation.
On Friday the 8th of December 1905, those Egyptian students and graduates elected Omar Lotfy Beik, Egyptian lawyer, as the president of the High School Students Club.
The Idea
After being elected as the president of the club, Lotfy Beik felt that those students were in need of something else in addition to the High School Students Club. A place that he felt would bring them together and would further strengthen their relationships with one another.
At the start of the 20th century, Egypt saw the rise of several clubs; however, the majority of these clubs catered to the needs of the Egyptian foreign community.
For example: Sporting, Gezira, Heliopolis, and several other clubs that were established by British institutions served the British citizens living in Egypt.
While clubs like: Scarabee and the Greek Alexandrian Club operated in Egypt meeting the needs of Egypt’s Greek community at the time.
Moreover, Italian clubs such as: Virtus and Savoia also existed in Egypt at the time in order to satisfy the demands of the Italian community in Egypt.
Alexandria’s El Negma El Hamra SC, translated to Red Star in English, which later turned to El Mawazafeen (Workers) Club before finally being named Olympic SC in 1924 was the only Egyptian club at the time; however, it was only for those who worked at the port of Alexandria.
It was not the norm at the time to see a sports club established by Egyptians for the sole purpose of serving the needs and interests of Egyptian society.
Therefore, Lotfy Beik - President of the High School Students Club at the beginning of the 20th century - saw that Egyptian students and graduates deserve to have their own sports club where they could spend their leisure time and practice sports.
Such an idea was unique at the time because clubs were portrayed to be serving the interests of foreigners or people from a certain social class.
Showing great passion to implement the idea, Lotfy Beik met with the following respectable names on the 8th of April 1907 in order to set the foundations for the establishment of Al Ahly Sporting Club:
Mr.Alfred Mitchell-Innes
Idris Ragheb Beik
Omar Soltan Pasha
Ismail Serry Pasha
Abdelkhalek Tharwat Pasha
Mohamed Mahmoud Pasha
Amin Samy Pasha
Aziz Ezzat Pasha
Hussein Roshdy Pasha
The meeting came to an end when the aforementioned names agreed to collaborate with Lotfy Beik on establishing what is now seen as the leading club in Africa and the Middle East, Al Ahly Sporting Club.
Moreover, they decided to create a company in order to fund the club. Such funding would later come through issuing 1000 shares, with 5 Egyptian pounds being the price for each share.
Lastly, they agreed to meet on the 24th of April, 1907, which is referred to as the first general administrative meeting in the history of the club.
This meeting is celebrated until now by all of Al Ahly’s supporters as the official date when the founding fathers of Al Ahly laid the foundations for the establishment of the club.
The First-Ever Administrative Meeting
On the 24th of April, 1907 Lotfy Beik met the following respectable names at 5:30 PM in the house of Mr. Alfred Mitchell-Innes in Gezira – a British diplomat, who worked as an advisor for Egypt’s Minister of Finance, during the time of the British colonization – in order to discuss the details related to the establishment of the club:
Idris Ragheb Beik
Ismail Serry Pasha
Amin Samy Pasha
Mohamed Afendi Sherif (as a secretary of the committee)
Here is what happened in the first general administrative meeting in the history of Al Ahly:
The committee requested from the government to retain two acres on the northern side of the land to be at the disposal of the club.
Ismail Serry Pasha was asked to design the land’s map and to specify the suitable location for the main building and the water pipes.
An investment in equity was made by Mr. Alfred Mitchell-Innes, Al Ahly’s first president, in ten shares from the club’s inauguration shares.
The first meeting came to an end at 6:30 pm.
This meeting would be the first of many meetings that Al Ahly’s first administrative committee held in order to discuss details and take decisions related to the establishment of the club.
The National Club
Al Ahly Sporting Club, which when translated to English means “The National Club” was established to meet the demands of the Egyptians during the British colonization.
Such an idea was clear at the beginning of the 20th century, as several foreign newspapers at the time, used to refer to Al Ahly’s team as "the Egyptian or the national club" in their news articles. For example, it was considered normal to write “the Egyptian club won yesterday’s game”.
Moreover, after 25 years of Al Ahly’s establishment, a book was published under the name “25 Years Have Passed on The Establishment of Al Ahly Club.” The book’s title was translated to “National Sporting Club Jubilee” to document the achievements of Al Ahly in the first 25 years of the club.
Lastly, the book pointed out names of the Egyptian patriots who helped in establishing the club either through providing funds or by laying the foundations of the club.
Al Ahly’s Red Jersey
The evolution of Al Ahly’s jersey is another important element that signifies the national identity of the club.
Al Ahly’s first jersey was a mixture of red and white stripes in order to reflect the colors of the Egyptian flag at the time.
Our jersey then developed throughout the years and red became the dominant color of Al Ahly’s kit; thus representing the Egyptian flag.
An Egyptian and African Pioneer
Finally, Lotfy Beik had an idea, which was transformed into reality became what is now seen as the African Club of the Century.
The establishment of Al Ahly Sporting Club did not only give the chance for the Egyptian youth to have a club where they could spend their leisure time, but it also paved the road to the establishment of other Egyptian sports clubs.
After more than a century of the club’s establishment, Al Ahly’s successes on various levels are the best indicator of the club’s leading role in Africa and the Middle East.
