By : Dr. Fadi Maayah
Curtin University, Australia
Jordan Daily – Jordanian football is entering a defining moment. For decades, clubs across the kingdom have operated as social, cultural, and sports institutions, governed by elected committees and rooted deeply in community identity. This traditional model—non‑profit, volunteer‑driven, and socially oriented—helped embed football into Jordanian society, but it also limited clubs’ ability to grow financially, modernise their operations, and compete at a higher professional level.
Recognising these structural constraints, the Jordanian government and the Jordan Football Association (JFA) have launched a major review of club governance. A new committee has been tasked with exploring privatisation, new ownership models, and updated regulatory frameworks. The aim is clear: to shift Jordanian clubs toward professional, financially sustainable, investment‑ready structures that can support long‑term development. This includes revising the Clubs and Youth Entities framework and establishing stronger standards for financial and administrative oversight.
This reform is not happening in a vacuum. It comes at a time when Jordanian football is experiencing a surge in competitiveness and ambition—most notably through the remarkable rise of Al‑Hussein FC. Under the leadership of Amer Abu Abied, the club has undergone a modern administrative transformation that has delivered back‑to‑back Jordanian Pro League titles and impressive performances in the AFC League 2, where Al‑Hussein have emerged as one of the region’s standout teams. Their success is not accidental; it reflects the impact of professional management, strategic planning, and investment‑minded leadership. Al‑Hussein’s achievements have effectively demonstrated what Jordanian football can become when clubs operate with modern governance and long‑term vision. Their rise has set the stage—and raised expectations—for the broader privatisation effort now underway.
Other nations have travelled this path before. England began with clubs that looked much like Jordan’s today: community teams run by volunteers and funded through small donations and gate receipts. By the 1980s, this model had reached its limits, with falling attendance, hooliganism, and stadium tragedies exposing deep structural weaknesses. The creation of the Premier League in 1992, backed by corporate governance and lucrative broadcasting deals, transformed English clubs into commercially driven organisations capable of attracting global investment and building world‑class infrastructure. This shift laid the foundation for England’s rise to the world’s most commercially successful football league.
Australia offers another compelling example. For decades, its National Soccer League was dominated by ethnically based community clubs—Croatian, Greek, Italian, Serbian—whose cultural importance was undeniable but whose financial and organisational limitations hindered growth. The Crawford Report (2003) triggered a complete restructuring, leading to the launch of the A‑League in 2005 with city‑based franchises, centralised governance, salary caps, and a commercially focused model. This transformation broadened the sport’s appeal, attracted investment, and aligned Australian football with global professional standards.
Jordan now stands at a similar crossroads. The Jordanian Pro League, founded in 1944 and now a fully professional competition with 10 clubs, has shown steady improvement in competitiveness, broadcasting, and player development. Yet its total market value—around €30 million—reflects the limitations of the traditional social‑club model. The success of Al‑Hussein under Amer Abu Abied has shown what is possible when clubs embrace modern management, but for Jordanian football to grow collectively, structural reform is essential.
The government and JFA’s decision to explore privatisation and new ownership structures is therefore not just administrative reform—it is a strategic investment in the future of Jordanian football. By learning from the experiences of England and Australia and other countries, and by building on the example set by Al‑Hussein’s recent achievements, Jordan can create a football ecosystem that preserves community identity while enabling clubs to operate with the professionalism, financial stability, and ambition required in today’s global football environment.
This reform is a step in the right direction. If implemented effectively, it could mark the beginning of a new era—one in which Jordanian clubs are not only symbols of community pride but also competitive, sustainable, and capable of thriving on the regional and international stage.