Streetball is basketball with a twist.

The game was originally played in the USA and there are three players on each side with the polished wooden floor of a normal arena replaced by the tarmac of road-side courts.

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The result is a fast and fun game that has experienced significant growth in Dubai over the last decade.

Now in its ninth year, the Sharjah Streetball event has increased from one court to nine with 80 players snapping up the available slots in record time this year.

Ziad Al Sharabi, marketing manager of the Sharjah Streetball Challenge event, said: “For us this is not about corporate social responsibility but about increasing our sense of community. It is simply a couple of days of sport where everyone is invited to come down and join in the fun.”

With sponsors now lining up to be associated with the event and reams of great prizes up for grabs by the competitors, we may be seeing the rise of the next big sport for Dubai’s local communities.