Calling All Sports Freaks
Best Places To Play FootBall
1 Jebel Ali International Centre of Excellence. Situated next to the Jebel Ali Shooting Club, the Centre of Excellence was set up as a purpose-built training facility for professional football teams and boasts one of the finest surfaces in Dubai. Amenities include first-class changing facilities and two full-size international football pitches, which are available to rent at Dh700 per 90 minutes for half a pitch or Dh1,400 for a full pitch. For more information, contact Lee Mannion at lee.mannion@jaihotels.com or 04 8830 828.
2 The Sevens. The recently constructed venue offers six pitches available for hire, all of which provide an excellent playing surface for football. Facilities include 20 changing rooms, a bar and restaurant, referee rooms and parking for 15,000 vehicles, should you have one or two substitutes. Located where the Dubai Al Ain Road meets the E77 Jebel Ali-Labab Road. Prices vary, but start at Dh950 for a two-hour slot off-peak. For further details, contact Louise Farish at louise.farish@emirates.com or 04 8096 605.
3 Etisalat Academy Sports & Leisure Club. Found near the border of Al Qusais and Mirdiff, the academy has a well-maintained floodlit pitch priced at Dh1,100 for two-hour hire. However, special rates on block bookings are available to those seeking regular football. To arrange a single booking, call the booking desk on 04 2043 491. Block bookings can be made by contacting Anita Lobban on alobban@etisalat.ae.
4 Soccer Dubai 5s. For those looking for some-thing a little more competitive, this five-a-side tournament has proved highly successful for Dubai's football fanatics, in operation for more than nine years. Located at Rashid School for Boys near Nad Al Sheba, the tournament hosts 12 different divisions with matches played on Tuesday and Wednesday nights between 7pm and 10pm from September to June. Teams pay Dh700 per month to cover four eight-minute games each week. For more details, email info@soccerdubai.com or call Dave Harvey on 050 6577 146.
5 Duplays. The popular sport and social provider currently offers a summer football tourna-ment with 48 teams playing five-a-side indoor matches at Raffles School in Umm Suqiem. Come September, the organisation will expand to both seven-a-side and five-a-side outdoor leagues at the same venue, while the current indoor option will still run. To register a team or to find out more, log on at duplays.com or email football@duplays.com.
Keep up with the latest business news from the region with the daily Emirates Business 24|7 newsletter. To subscribe to the newsletter, please click here.