Dubai Sports City has welcomed a delegation from the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), as the owners of the famous Lords Cricket Ground in London, plan a 1.4 AED billion improvement project.
The former president of the MCC, and ex-England batsman Tony Lewis CBE, led the delegation, and remarked that Dubai Sports City’s plans were “hugely impressive”.
He was taken on a tour of the development, and was able to view the ongoing work on the Global Cricket Academy (GCA) and the Dubai Sports City Cricket Stadium, the 25,000 seat facility which is set for completion this year.
Khaled Al Zarooni, President, Dubai Sports City, hosted the visitors. “We were delighted to welcome representatives from the world’s oldest cricket club to Dubai Sports City, and share our plans for the future of the sport,” said Al Zarooni “In particular; it was a pleasure to meet Tony Lewis, who has done so much for cricket internationally.”
The MCC was formed over 220 years ago, and still plays a major role in the growth of the sport. “This is the latest, and newest cricket project in the world, so it was the best place for us to start,” said Mr. Lewis “We have come to be educated, and this development is fantastic. There is nothing more exciting than shaping a new ground.”
Dubai Sports City is looking to use its geographic position at the epicenter of the cricket world to provide an additional boost for the sport. With easy access to a potential audience of billions in India, Pakistan, and Europe, as well as the Middle East, executives are optimistic that its cricket stadium will become an iconic destination for the sport.
Mr Lewis said: “You could easily see England playing Australia here. It’s all about location, and fantastic facilities. The enthusiasm is here to do it, and international teams are already planning to tour here”.
In addition, the first ICC Global Cricket Academy, which will be based in Dubai Sports City, will provide a vital resource for developing players at all levels.
Lewis was joined on the trip by the MCC’s Masterplan Project Director David Batts.
About Dubai Sports City
Dubai Sports City (DSC), the cornerstone project of Dubailand, is a USD 4 billion, 50 million square feet mixed-use development which will be the world’s first integrated purpose-built sports city.
The development will be built around five major sports venues:
• a 60,000 capacity multi-purpose outdoor stadium for football, rugby, track and field and other sports and non-sports events
• a 10,000 seat multi-purpose indoor arena suitable for all hard court sports as well as concerts and other events and also including a removable ice rink
• a 25,000 capacity cricket stadium, expandable to 30,000, with state-of-the-art facilities for players, match officials, VIPs, spectators and the media
• a 5,000 seat field hockey stadium
• The Els Club, a 72-par, 18-hole championship golf course designed by South African star Ernie Els
In addition to the stadia, Dubai Sports City will feature a series of major sports academy facilities including:
• Dubai Sports City Football Academy, the home of Manchester United Soccer Schools, Dubai
• a David Lloyd Tennis Academy
• a Butch Harmon School of Golf, the first such facility outside the United States
• the International Cricket Council’s own ICC Global Cricket Academy
• the World Hockey Academy, a first of its kind partnership with the International Hockey Federation
• top class multi-sport training facilities including gymnasium and a 50 metre swimming pool
• a world-renowned sports medicine and rehabilitation centre
Designed as a lifestyle development, Dubai Sports City will also feature comprehensive community facilities including:
▪ Next Generation Country Club and spa facility
▪ a large-scale shopping mall
▪ two retail hubs offering up-scale dining and boutique shopping
▪ a range of schools
▪ medical facilities
▪ community centres
▪ hotels
