Officially opened this month, the Abu Dhabi Beaches Sport Park (ADBSP) forms part of a broader strategy to help improve the health of the capital.

The beach in front of Gate 4 (Al Sahil) of the Corniche has been transformed into courts and pitches where, under DUPLAYS management, residents can participate in a variety of sporting activities, including volleyball, football, dodgeball, netball, and beach cricket, as well as yoga and Pilates.

“At DUPLAYS we’re really excited to be powering the Abu Dhabi Beaches Sport Park which brings more opportunities for residents to get fit, healthy and engaged in their community,” said Derv Rao, co-founder and Director of Operations at DUPLAYS.

“The Abu Dhabi Beaches Sport Park has professional sports lighting so night-time play can continue year-round, even as day time temperatures heat up. We’ll continue as many activities as possible through the summer months, but why wait until then. Now is the perfect time to come down and play!”

For more information, visit http://abudhabi.duplays.com. From there you can sign up for your preferred sport and skill level and DUPLAYS will do the rest.

Are all of the services free at the park? Where do charges apply?

DUPLAYS sports leagues currently run from Sunday to Wednesday at the park with Monday dedicated as a ladies only night. Our sporting activities include more traditional sports like netball and volleyball as well as more unconventional games like Ultimate Frisbee. We also run individual sports like yoga and aerobics. Our sports leagues run for 6-12 weeks and cost between AED 300 to 500 per person for the season. That equates to an average of AED 35-50 for each game. So basically visitors to the park can enjoy improved fitness and health and grow their social networks for the cost of a movie and popcorn.

The standard beach park fee of AED 10 per person per visit is required to access the Abu Dhabi Beaches Sport Park.

The courts are all sand-based and are also available for private use at a charge of AED 100 per hour.

Does DUPLAYS have any other projects planned in Abu Dhabi?

DUPLAYS is actively pursuing community partnerships at every level to support our mission to build a healthier tomorrow. Increasing physical activity is a societal issue, not just an individual problem. It demands a population-based, multi-sectoral, multi-disciplinary, and culturally relevant approach. We are in discussions with education groups to improve physical activity levels among UAE youth. We are also initiating an inter-university sports league between and within Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.

Who is your target audience – young, very young, old, local, expat?

Our sports leagues are accessible, affordable and available to men and women of all nationalities and levels of fitness. Sports leagues are restricted to those 18 years and older, but the Abu Dhabi Beaches Sport Park is open to all ages for private use. As part of our partnership with the Municipality of Abu Dhabi we want the park to be a platform where community spirit and civic engagement can thrive. It is important that we encourage families with children to use the park and enjoy the facilities too.

For ‘sports’ novices will there be hands-on training events?

You don’t have to be an athlete to participate in DUPLAYS sports leagues. We don’t run any specific training events for our members, but we do make sure our leagues cater to all skill levels. We offer recreational and social leagues as well as competitive leagues and play an active role in helping our members join the right league for their level of sporting ability. We also take into consideration cultural sensitivities and potential barriers to participation. One of our main aims is to make our sports leagues easy to discover and join.

Will each group be allotted set times to use the facilities and where can they find this information? Can people hire courts, pitches for private games?

The Abu Dhabi Beaches Sport Park is one of the venues we use in Abu Dhabi to run our DUPLAYS sports leagues throughout the week. The park is also available to individuals, teams or companies who wish to book a court for private use. Court reservations are definitely encouraged to ensure court availability. A court reservation booking form and further information about the facilities can be found on our website, www.duplays.com. The website is not only a great resource for interested users, it also has a strong social networking focus. Members can continue their connections with each other away from the courts and pitches through various social media channels. This is a great way for our members to swap sports stories, share photos from the games and make or strengthen friendships.

What kind of facilities will be available during the summer months, or will the park be closed at this time?

The Abu Dhabi Beaches Sport Park has professional sports lighting so night-time play can continue year-round, even as day time temperatures heat up. We’ll continue as many activities as possible through the summer months, but why wait until then. Now is the perfect time to come down and play!

http://abudhabi.duplays.com

Additional media coverage

• The National: “Beach sport park in league of its own” 2-Jan-2011
• AMEinfo.com: “Abu Dhabi Beaches Sport Park opens at the Corniche“
• The Gulf Today newspaper: “ADM introduces new sports services with community health at heart“
• Abu Dhabi Week: “DUPLAYS on the beach” (reprinted above)
• Akhbar Al Arab newspaper Arabic article (image above)
• Al Ittihad newspaper: Arabic article
• UAE Connectors: Arabic article
• Eye of Dubai: Arabic article
• Yahoo Maktoob: Arabic article
• Al Wahda newspaper: Arabic article

The Abu Dhabi Beaches Sports Park officially opens next week — October 3rd.  Sign up online as an individual or with a group of friends/colleagues to start playing.

Update: we’ve put up photos, a list of leagues and activities, a map and more are at duplays.com/corniche

Press release:

DUPLAYS to launch Abu Dhabi Beaches Sports Park (ADBSP) on October 3, 2010

For the first time in the capital, Abu Dhabi beaches will have organized sports and other activities during weekday evenings.

DUPLAYS, in cooperation with Abu Dhabi beaches, has developed the Abu Dhabi Beaches Sports Park with a goal to activate the Corniche and improve activity levels in the city.

DUPLAYS is looking to drive over 1,500 participants to the beach on weekday evenings through both team and individual sport activities for men and women of any skill level.

DUPLAYS.com, the central website where anyone can sign up to join, will offer many team sports such as beach volleyball, beach football, beach netball and beach rugby. In addition, training classes for yoga and pilates among others will also be offered.

DUPLAYS, the UAE’s largest sport and social club with over 18,000 members, in an effort to increase participation, will offer unique nights to allow networking at a professional level through social and healthy activity. Tuesday nights will have beach volleyball for teachers and Wednesday nights will be a social night for new residents looking to get out and get active.

One of the more unique offerings will be “Monday night, Ladies night” where women from the city can come out, play and be active in a women’s only environment. On Monday nights, the Abu Dhabi Beaches Sport Park will be reserved only for women’s activities with female administrators, referees and trainers.

Looking to get active? Go to DUPLAYS.com and sign up for your sport, evening of play, skill level and let DUPLAYS do the rest. Don’t have a team? Don’t worry. Sign up as a team or as an individual and come ready to play. To find out more, email corniche@duplays.com. Private court bookings are also available via http://duplays.com/corniche.

Derv Rao
Co-founder & Director of Operations
Duplays Sports Services JLT

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.

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

At this first event we had beach volleyball, beach dodgeball, tug-of-war, great raffles prizes, and more. If you participated in Beach Olympics I, then please give us your feedback here so that we can make  Beach Olympics II even better!

Sign up now for Beach Olympics II

You can enter a full team to compete, or join as an individual or small group of friends and we’ll place you on a team. You’re guaranteed to meet new people and have a great time!

We’ve posted more photos to our DUPLAYS facebook account: http://facebook.com/DUPLAYS

Play sport. Be social. DUPLAYS.com

This is it, your last chance to join one of DUPLAYS 30+ new sport leagues in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. New leagues begin next week — January 24th! If you haven’t yet, sign up now! …or wait until April.

This Wednesday and Saturday night we will be accepting payment (cash/cheque only) at two locations listed below. Paying this Wed or Sat guarantees your team’s (or individual) spot in the league. Teams paying in full will receive their DUPLAYS team shirts on a first-to-pay, first-to-choose basis for team shirt colours & sizes.

Payment times & locations
In Dubai at Barasti Bar, Le Meridien Mina Seyahi (Dubai Marina)
Wednesday, January 20, 7-10pm OR Saturday, January 23, 5-8pm. You are invited to come and play beach volleyball (after paying!) during those times.

In Abu Dhabi at Reem Dome @ Rawdhat (across from Zayed Sports City, off Airport Rd; if leaving Abu Dhabi then left at first lights after Carrefour).
Wednesday, January 20, 6-9pm OR Saturday, January 23, 5-8pm.

Some more notes

• Want to pay by credit card? You can! Just goto http://DUPLAYS.com, login and click the link under “my leagues”. On the league page scroll down and click the large black button that says “update my league settings”. From there you can select PayPal and use a credit card to pay.
• If you are an individual (you don’t know your team yet), your team shirts will be provided on day 1 of league play but payment must be made at one of the locations above in advance to secure your spot!
• What if you don’t pay for your league before the start date? Your spot cannot be guaranteed until payment. Also, top choices for shirt sizes and colours may no longer be available. It’s best to pay this week. Make it a fun team night out!

Team Members
All members of a team must sign up for the league online, to be eligible to play.
Why? All communications (last minute updates, scheduling, standings) are sent only to league members. Also, there is an online waiver that must be accepted in order to play.

Schedules, Rosters (Teams), Standings
Schedules and Rosters will be posted 48 hours before league start date (please check your starting dates on the league page, they may have been adjusted). Each league will send a mailer to league members only the night before games begin.

See you soon, on the court/field/sand/pitch!

Team DUPLAYS.com

Want to get fit in 2010? Looking to meet more people and make new friends? Tired of
the same old ‘after work’ routine?

If the answer is YES then joining one of our DUPLAYS nightly sport leagues is for you!

http://DUPLAYS.com

DUPLAYS has 30+ new sport leagues in 15 sports to help you keep your New Year’s resolutions. There are team sports for both recreational and competitive players, men’s, women’s and mixed sports at various levels of play so you can find something that suits your needs. A full listing of all leagues is here for Dubai and for Abu Dhabi.

Create your own team…

• Recruit your friends to play and look forward to a weekly run around
• Get your company involved: contact corporate@duplays.com
• Don’t have enough players for a full team? No worries, enter a partial team and we’ll fill the remaining spots

Need a team?

• If you don’t have a team yet, just sign up online and we’ll place you on one

New sports: ball hockey, handball, tennis & squash will each begin if we get a great response. So sign up and recruit more players to get these leagues started!

We’re hiring referees and admins for many leagues. Meet people and make some extra income. Apply online.

Not interested in weekly sports leagues? Perhaps a single-day or weekend eventinvolving sport or activity is what your company needs to rediscover that competitive fire! Contact corporate@duplays.com for ideas on events that will suit your needs.

Leagues are filling up fast!

Sign up NOW if you want to participate this season! (…or wait until April 2010!)

Team DUPLAYS

DUPLAYS “Fall Season” of adult recreational and competitive sports has now been posted. Leagues begin either next week or the first week of October so sign up NOW to secure your spot!

Every team that signs up for a sport this season will receive our new “DUPLAYS Sport & Social” team shirts (six team color options: green, yellow, black, white, blue, or grey). Shirts are included in your league fees. The earlier you sign up the greater the chance you will get your 1st color choice and size.

Leagues are either 8 or 10 weeks long, with teams playing 1 night per week. This means it’s your last chance to sign up for a social sport before we start up again in Jan 2010!

Select your city to jump to DUPLAYS leagues where you live: Dubai or Abu Dhabi.

Dubai

Men’s Leagues

• American Flag Football “Any Given Monday” League (competitive 7′s, Tue *new night*)
• Basketball “He Got Game V” League (competitive 5′s, on Mon )
• Basketball “Elite Ballers” League (competitive 5′s, on Wed)
• Football (Soccer) “7 Wonders Division 1″ League (competitive 7′s, on Tue/Fri/Sat)
• Football (Soccer) “7 Wonders Division 2″ League (competitive 7′s, on Mon/Thu/Sat)
• Softball “DSL Men A Division” League (competitive 10′s, on Thu)
• Softball “DSL Men B Division” League (recreational 10′s, on Sat)

Women’s Leagues

• Basketball “Lady Hoopers V” League (recreational 5′s, on Tue)
• Football “Indoor 5v5 Futsal” League (recreational 5′s, on Sun)
• Netball “Pass Shoot Score” League (competitive 7′s, on Sun)
• Netball “Pass, Pass, Shoot IV” League (recreational 7′s, on Mon)
• Softball “Women’s Division” League (recreational 10′s, on Wed)

Mixed Leagues (men & women playing together)

• Badminton “Bye Bye Birdie” League (recreational 2′s, on Sat)
• Dodgeball “Duck, Dip, Dive II” League (recreational 7′s on Sun)
• Landsailing *new sport* “Blokart Racing” League (recreational on Sat)
• Softball “Swing Batter” League (recreational 10′s, on Tue *new night*)
• Touch Rugby “Can’t Touch This!” League (competitive 6′s, on Mon)
• Touch Rugby “Try This!” League (recreational 6′s, on Tue)
• Ultimate Frisbee “Flying Saucers V” League (recreational 7′s, on Mon *new night*)
• Volleyball: Beach “Super Social V” League (recreational 6′s, on Tue/Wed)
• Volleyball: Indoor “Hittas & Misstas” League (competitive 6′s, on Tue)

Click here for a current listing of ALL Dubai sport leagues.

Abu Dhabi

Men’s Leagues

• American Flag Football “Any Given Tuesday” League (competitive 7′s, on Mon)
• Basketball “Hoop Dreams” League (competitive 5′s, on Mon )
• Cricket “Global  Eye 20/20″ League (recreational 11′s, on Tue)
• Football (Soccer) “5th Element” League (competitive 5′s, on Sun/Mon/Tue/Wed/Sat)

Women’s Leagues

• Basketball “Lady Ballers” League (recreational 5′s, on Tue)
• Football “5 on 5 Football” League *new league* (recreational 5′s, on Sun)

Mixed Leagues (men & women playing together)

• Dodgeball “Dodge This!” League (recreational 7′s on TBD)
• Kayaking *new sport* “Mangrove & Island Kayak Tours” (recreational on Tue/Wed/Sat)
• Touch Rugby “Try This!” League (recreational 6′s, on Tue)
• Ultimate Frisbee “Disc-No-Ball III” League (recreational 7′s, on Tue)
• Volleyball: Beach “Social Side Out” League (recreational 6′s, on Sun)

Click here for current listing of ALL Abu Dhabi sport leagues.

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A few things to note:

• Each week you will play in the same location (so please check location maps) and timings may or may not change each week (in order for you to play other teams).
• League format is that each team plays ONCE a week for say 8-10 weeks. Some leagues (i.e. basketball, football, netball) will play one game per night during a 50-60 minute slot while other leagues (beach volleyball, touch rugby, ultimate frisbee, dodgeball) may play two or three games per night during a 60 minute slot.
• If you are signing up as part of a set team, every team member (not just captains) must sign up for the specific league they are participating in this season.
• Our leagues are for those looking to stay active and increase their social network. Although some of our leagues are competitive, the main goal of all DUPLAYS leagues is to bring you fun, affordable, well-organized social sport on your weeknights!
• We have different levels of play (Recreational, Competitive) depending on your skill level. Pick what’s right for you.
• Smile. The summer heat has ended and it’s time to play outdoors again!
• Are you looking to be an administrator or referee for a sport? Click here to apply. Get a chance to meet lots of people and get paid while doing it. Plus, there are a few other additional perks that we will let you know about once you are selected.
• Sponsorship. Does your company want to get involved in sponsoring DUPLAYS sports, leagues, or overall?  We’re looking for a few select sponsors.  Click here for more info.

See you on the court, field, or sand this season!

Team DUPLAYS

Do U PLAYS Sports?! DUPLAYS is the UAE’s largest sport and social club.
Play sport. Be social.  DUPLAYS.com

Follow us on Twitter:  twitter.com/DUPLAYS

Add us as a friend on Facebook: facebook.com/DUPLAYS

Also join our DUPLAYS.com group on Facebook.

Whether you celebrate “Earth Day” on April 22 or on the Equinox (March 20-21), join with us in appreciating our shared environment and being more aware of how to reduce waste and treat the Earth better.

How you can help:

• Carpool to play in our leagues.  Each league has a Message Box (once logged in, scroll to the bottom of league page). Post a message there offering to give a ride to anyone else in your neighborhood.
• No more plastic cups!  Buy a sturdy plastic (or aluminum) water bottle and fill it up at the water coolers.
• Tell us your ideas to make Dubai, Abu Dhabi, & DUPLAYS all greener places.  Leave us a comment.

We recommend:

• Outdoors sports and UAE outdoors adventures, before the summer heat arrives.
  • New Kickball League in Dubai
  • New Cricket League in Dubai
  • Beach Volleyball, Ultimate Frisbee, Touch Rugby, Flag Football in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi
  • Desert trekking
• Kayak eco-adventures through the mangrove forests of Abu Dhabi.  We’ll write more about this awesome trip and post photos soon. Contact: Don @ 050 542 0820.

Leave a comment telling us what did you do for Earth Day, and what you’re doing every day to take better care of the Earth.