Ravi Bhusari and Derv Rao tell Wamda (http://www.wamda.com) how they started the web company Duplays (http://duplays.com) to help residents of Dubai and Abu Dhabi connect and organize after-work sports activities. They describe how Duplays works to break down social barriers in the UAE.
Time Out Dubai recently came down to Barasti Bar for some summer beach volleyball action in Dubai.
Dubai’s brave fitness fans head down to Mina Seyahi every Wednesday night for Duplays’ 10-week beach volleyball league. We went to watch and were soaking within the hour, so imagine the players – some had trouble with ball handling as arms and hands were so slippery from sweat. The night ended with a casual half-hour of play, which was our favourite part: pop to Barasti, hit a ball or two, pop back to Barasti – our favourite kind of exercise. Fancy playing? The next league starts mid-September: see duplays.com.
Check out the feature on Time Out Dubai’s website and see all 11 (sweaty!) photos from the night.
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Team DUPLAYS
The DFL boys retained their title as DUPLAYS Ultimate Frisbee champions when they convincingly defeated the Dubai Flying Carpets on Monday evening at the Metropolitan fields.
DFL 10 – Fly Carpets 3. Ryan stars as DFL retain Spin Doctors title. By Mohamed Suleman
14 June, 2010, Dubai. Nine weeks of grueling Ultimate Frisbee culminated in a re-match of last season’s final, with the Dubai Flying Carpets taking on the DFL’ ers.
Although the match did not live up to the nail-biting encounter the two teams produced last time around, high quality Ultimate was still in the cards and in the end, it was DFL who took the crown.
The game got off to a tentative start as both teams passed the disc around in search for an opening. The Carpets Patrick tried to hit Chilly going long, but the throw was just wide.
A victorious DFL team
It was DFL who got on the board first through a towering Ryan catch. But the Carpets equalized soon after through Andrea, who finished off a pretty passing play.
However, the tie did not last long as Jack set up Dina in the end-zone to get DFL up by one again. The point opened the floodgates as they started to dominate proceedings, and were soon ahead by a handful.
Chilly got one back for the Carpets when the ever-reliable Led hit him with a delectable forward-flick from a whopping forty feet.
The Carpets tried to seize on the momentum, but were met by airtight defense from the DFL boys. They restricted them to short passes and kept the disc away from their end-zone. “We tried to keep the disc moving and stay smart on defense,” said DFL’s Robin after the game.
DFL were strong offensively as well. They circulated the disc superbly and hit the open man more often than not. The height of Ryan helped as well, as he made a few smart catches closer to the stars above, than the grass below.
Paul gave the Carpets supporters’ something to cheer about when he made a splendid jump and pick in the end zone
The game ended with Chilly, who once broke the sound barrier with a forward flick, holding on to a tight catch in the end zone to salvage some pride for the Carpets.
“I think we played pretty well,” said Chilly after the game. “Congratulations to DFL, they played a great final.”
All in all, it was an enjoyable final to watch between the two best teams in the league.
The season ended with Captain Led enlightening the players as to how he invented the game of Ultimate Frisbee decades ago, and how he proudly introduced it to the ‘nation of Dubai’.
It was a cracking end to what had been a memorable season. Spin Doctors III kicks off on June 28th. Expect some more pulsating disc action from DUPLAYS, the UAE’s largest sport and social club. http://duplays.com/ultimate-frisbee
Forty-eight teams represented 27 nations and competed in DUPLAYS 2-day 5v5 futsal tournament — the UAE Nations Cup by Gillette.
The indoor football action was intense with lots of great goals and gritty defense. Congratulations to all the teams and a special thanks to Gillette for making the tournament possible with their generous support.
1st place: UAE Legions
2nd place: Iran Fabexi
more photos from the event below…
DUPLAYS is the UAE’s largest sport & social club with over 14,000 members.
Play sport. Be social. DUPLAYS.com
With Snickers’ support, DUPLAYS organized 36 footballers to play 1 match for 42 hours and 5 minutes in Doha, Qatar from May 28-30.
An official from Guinness World Records certified the event as the longest football match ever played! After 2 months of preparation the nearly 2 days of football went surprisingly smoothly with only a few players having minor injuries. Players slept and ate on the sidelines of the pitch, keeping a rotation that balanced playing time with rest/sleep. The final score of the match was 293-236 — “Crunchers” (green) over the “Challengers” (orange).
City 7 TV and Sport on 7 host Graham Clews filed this video report from the match:
For more photos from the game you can visit the official Snickers website makefootballhistory.com and the Snickers WLFM facebook group.
Check out the official press release below…
Mars GCC – the leading regional manufacturer of confectionary products in the Middle East and its famous brand Snickers ® proudly announces it has stepped up to the challenge and broken the current Guinness world record for the longest football match by bringing together 36 real football fans from 10 different Arab markets to play a historical match that lasted for 42 hours and 5 minutes in Qatar. The match kicked off on Friday 28th at 8 am and ended at 2.05 am on Sunday.
Throughout the years, Snickers ® has been always associated with football. One of Snickers’ ® main aim by organizing the event is to challenge and unleash the football potential and create a tremendous amount of excitement among Arab youth in the region.
Commenting on the event was Omar Salim, Marketing Director, Mars GCC: “Snickers ® is proud to have achieved its goal in breaking the record for the world’s longest football thanks to the determination of the selected team. This accomplishment reflects the players’ high level of excitement about the game and the sense of closeness among Arab youth. Snickers ® succeeded in bringing Arab youth together to step-up to the challenge “Tahadi” and be more active while having fun and learning from others. Breaking the record by those youth echo a sense of responsibility and passion for the sport.”
This record-breaking attempt is done under the umbrella of the Snickers brand which stands for: “Don’t stop” and “Step-up”.
Mohammed Badri from KSA, one of the on-line winners of the Snickers “Make football history campaign” commented: “This has been one of the most exciting experiences of my life. I feel blessed to have been given the opportunity to participate to such an enriching and unique adventure and to have bonded with mates from across the region that share the same passion for football as I do. The strong spirit of achievement we shared throughout the whole event has contributed to create very special friendships which we know will last forever.”
The game followed standard FIFA rules for a friendly match, with teams limited to 11 players on the pitch and 7 substitutes each. There was a set up for sleeping and resting and food/beverages.
There were a total of 36 players who participated in breaking the world record. Ten players were selected from users who played the online football game. The other 26 players were recruited among football fans who stepped up to the challenge.
A studied rotation was put in place to make sure no players run the risk of extreme over-exhaustion. A team of experienced sports organizers were in charge of setting schedules and managing players and their substitutions to make sure every player received adequate rest and care during the whole game.
The event was supported by City 7 TV as the exclusive media partner of the event.
Which nation has the best footballers in the UAE? Represent your nation! Get your countrymen together for one of the most exciting tournaments leading up to the World Cup.
DUPLAYS is hosting the UAE Nations Cup by Gillette, a true World Cup tournament, with 48 teams playing indoor 5-aside futsal. Each team’s player must be from the same nation. We know that there are lots of Emirati, English, and Egyptian teams but who else is up to the challenge? With over 50 nationalities currently playing in DUPLAYS football leagues, we expect 25+ nations to compete for the title. Don’t know any countrymen? Sign up as an individual and we’ll help connect you.
Register online at http://duplays.com/gillette
Date: June 4/5
Location: Soccer Circus in Mirdif City Centre, Dubai.
Details: 48 teams, 5-aside, men >16 years of age, min 5 players/max 8
Cost: 800 AED per team, each team gets 8 Nike team kits (jerseys and shorts)
Prizes: national pride + 18,000 AED in Sun & Sand Sports vouchers for top 3 teams
How do you sign up? 1. Sign up online http://duplays.com/gillette 2. Pay online or at one of the designated locations starting May 23.
Join as a team or as an individual. Individuals — you MUST indicate your country in the comments box and if we find enough individuals from your country, we’ll place you together on a team.
Why sign up first? Registration closes June 2nd but we forecast country slots will fill up immediately. Only the first team representing each nation is guaranteed a spot. The 2nd, 3rd, etc teams per nation may be removed if a new, previously unrepresented nation signs up. We want to show the UAE’s diversity and include teams from as many nations as possible.
Which country will come out on top? Represent your nation! Sign up online: http://duplays.com/gillette
Over 400 Brookfield Multiplex employees enjoyed another great DUPLAYS corporate event — “Beach Games”! Check out this video from the intense battle for tug-of-war first place.
Want to organize a unique, sport-filled fun day for your company? Contact corporate@duplays.com for event ideas and packages.
Play sport. Be social. http://DUPLAYS.com
Are you ready for the Snickers World Longest Football Match in Qatar this May? Step up to make football history. Don’t Stop!
To be selected for this historic game (36 hours long!!) you can enter the DUPLAYS Fitness Challenge Event in Dubai (top finishers qualify) or show your skills online at makefootballshistory.com.
Current open positions: office manager, accountant, sports marketing & events manager, league administrators (many sports), and qualified referees.
Read the job descriptions at http://duplays.com/jobs. Then click the link to apply online.
DUPLAYS staff at a corporate event