Zayed Sports City is celebrating five successful years of expanding facilities and delivering international events to Abu Dhabi.
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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. The venue has seen a 228% growth in footfall, welcoming over five million visitors in that time.
Over the course of the last five years, 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.
Speaking about the milestone, 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.”
Zayed Sports City is 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 Sport360 Sports Industry Award for Best Sport and Recreation Venue in the Middle East, affirming its position as a global events hub and a focal point of the community.
“The growth of Zayed Sports City since 2010 has been staggering, with massive increases to footfall and facilities, added Barry Bremner, General Manager of Zayed Sports City.
"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 aims 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.