Zayed Sports City celebrates five years of expanding facilities and hosting international events in Abu Dhabi

Venue set to host Mubadala World Tennis Championship and Women’s World Bowling Championship in 2015

Abu Dhabi, 18 May 2015: Zayed Sports City, the premier sports and entertainment venue in the United Arab Emirates, under the management of Abu Dhabi Entertainment Company (ADEC), and part of the real estate and infrastructure portfolio of Mubadala Development Company, is celebrating five successful years of expanding facilities and delivering international events to Abu Dhabi.

Since launching a new strategy in April 2010, Zayed Sports City has made 24 new activities available to the public, with a total of 30 experiences present at the facility today, while the venue has seen a 228% growth in footfall, welcoming over five million visitors in that time.

Since 2010, pitch capacity at Zayed Sports City has more than doubled, while a number of new facilities have opened including a softball pitch, a billiards hall, Emirates Aikido Centre, a paintball park and the IPIC Arena, keeping it at the forefront of sport, recreation and family entertainment in Abu Dhabi.

Ali Eid AlMheiri, Executive Director, Mubadala Real Estate & Infrastructure, said:
“Under ADEC’s management, we have implemented a strategy at Zayed Sports City to expand its overall offering during the past five years and believe that the venue significantly contributes to the social infrastructure and healthy lifestyles of people in Abu Dhabi.”

With a unique mix of sport and entertainment facilities, Zayed Sports City has been the preferred venue for regional and international events, including the UAE President’s Cup, the Mubadala World Tennis Championship, the World Bowling Championships and WWE Live.

In 2014, for the second consecutive year, Zayed Sports City was awarded the Sports Industry Award for Best Sport and Recreation Venue in the Middle East, affirming Zayed Sports City’s position as a global events hub and a focal point of the community.

Barry Bremner, General Manager of Zayed Sports City, said:
“The growth of Zayed Sports City since 2010 has been staggering, with massive increases to footfall and facilities. Our ambition has been to provide first class facilities to the people of Abu Dhabi, while attracting global events that promote sport and entertainment and contribute to the diversification of the local economy. I believe that we have delivered this in the past five years.

“We are a forward thinking organization, constantly seeking to add partners, improve our customer service and add new facilities. We are building on our legacy by developing new athletes and delivering programmes that appeal to the community, as the regional focus on healthy lifestyles and sporting excellence grows. 

“Internationally, we are also building our brand, playing host to a variety of international tournaments and positioning ourselves as a world-class training venue with a wide range of international, Premier League and Bundesliga football teams using our facilities each year.”

In line with the vision of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan to create a world-class sports complex that reflects the UAE’s passion for sport, Zayed Sports City continues to provide a platform to develop local sporting talent, including Zahri Lari who became the first UAE national figure skater to win a gold medal at an international competition in 2013.

Upcoming events for 2015 include:

-          June: President’s Cup Football

-          June/July: Ramadan Football and Bowling Tournaments

-          October: Etihad Junior Rugby Championship

-          November: President’s Cup Ice Hockey

-          December: Mubadala World Tennis Championships

-          December: Women’s World Bowling Championship

About Zayed Sports City

Zayed Sports City was built to fulfil the vision of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as a venue that reflected the country’s passion for sport, as well as to provide a platform to develop the country’s promising sporting talent. Zayed Sports City was a state-of-the-art facility when it was first opened, and after three decades of continuous development and growth it remains the premier entertainment and sporting destination in the UAE. The complex includes over 30 sports, including football, paintball, tennis, bowling, ice skating and a fitness gym.