Sociedad anónima deportiva ("Public limited sports company") is a special type of Spanish public limited company (known as sociedad anónima in Spain). The new legal status was introduced in 1990[1] to improve financial management and transparency in sports clubs. Many Spanish football and basketball clubs add the suffix S.A.D. to the end of their official name, for example Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D.
Every club which plays in La Liga, Segunda División or Liga ACB and remains in the league is obliged to convert to S.A.D. status. However, this obligation was eliminated in 2022.[2]