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.
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.
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
DubaiOne TV show recently interviewed DUPLAYS co-founders Derv Rao and Ravi Bhusari at Ski Dubai.
The full episode from Dubai One is available here: Episode 18 – Winter Wonderland
Play sport. Be social. DUPLAYS.com
Recently DubaiOne TV aired this video about DUPLAYS social sport leagues in the UAE: Punam and Layne from “Out & About This Week” discover DUPLAYS — the UAE’s “Sport & Social Club”.
The full video from DubaiOne TV is here: http://bit.ly/dxb1DUPLAYS
Joining a sport league is easy! Visit DUPLAYS.com homepage for Dubai or for Abu Dhabi. Then you just need to 1) register on the site, 2) sign up for your sport, and 3) we take care of the rest — you’re ready to play!
Play sport. Be social. DUPLAYS.com
Indoor Volleyball by DUPLAYS in Dubai, UAE. Video segment aired on “Sport on 7″ on City 7 TV in July, 2009. Host Graham Clews gets on the court to interview some players and co-founder Derv Rao.
Play Sport. Be Social. DUPLAYS.com
Women’s Basketball by DUPLAYS in Dubai, UAE. Video segment aired on “Sport on 7″ on City 7 TV in July, 2009. Host Graham Clews interviews some female players court side and gets some great action footage from the games.
Play women’s basketball in Dubai or in Abu Dhabi — sign up here!
Play Sport. Be Social. DUPLAYS.com
Check out the official Nike video promoting DUPLAYS NikeFive Indoor Football Tournament — Dubai. Can you name all the Nike Football stars in the video?
American Flag Football and Ultimate Frisbee by DUPLAYS @ the Metropolitan Hotel in Dubai, UAE. Video segment aired on “Sport on 7″ on City 7 TV in December, 2008. Host Graham Clews gets on the field and interviews some players of both sports.
DUPLAYS means Do U PLAY Sports? Join a league today. Visit DUPLAYS.com/leagues to sign up today!
Interviews with players, Ravi & Derv at Barasti Bar. Do you play sports?
DUPLAYS means Do U PLAY Sports? Join a league today. Visit DUPLAYS.com/leagues to play!
City 7 TV – Duplays Beach Volleyball from DUPLAYS.
Beach Volleyball by DUPLAYS @ Barasti Bar in Dubai, UAE. Video segment from “Sport on 7″ show on City 7 TV. Interview with Duplays co-founders Ravi Bhusari and Derv Rao. Derv & Ravi talk about the Duplays’ social sport concept, how DUPLAYS started in 2007 and the ease of using DUPLAYS.com to join a league, play on a team and meet new people in the UAE.