Al Sadd was established by eleven high school students who excelled in playing football, with the oldest member being 17 years old. They refused to join other clubs at the time and decided to make their own club. Four of them consulted with Sheikh Qassim bin Hamad Al-Thani, who was the minister of Youth and Sports at the time. He obliged their request, resulting in the formation of Al Sadd Sports Club. Many of the early players and supporters were remnants of Al Ahrar SC, a club which was dissolved in the 1966/67 season. In their initial year of establishment, the father of one of the founders, Hamad bin Mubarak Al Attiyah, coached the club and the team trained on a football pitch in a local high school.