Just posted: NEW Dubai & Abu Dhabi sport leagues, Oct-Dec 2009. Sign up now!

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

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Football fans, have you noticed how there have been a string of upsets lately? The King of Clay losing to an unknown 23rd seed, Man Utd’s greek tragedy in Rome, Brawn GP’s dominance in F1, the non-goth guy winning American idol, Night at the Museum raking in more money than Terminator at the box office, could the summer throw anymore curve balls at us? Maybe there’s time for one more summer surprise.

It all culminated on the 30th day of May, in the sweltering heat, the top 12 teams of DUPLAYS NikeFive tournament converged at Raffles North and South to battle it out. At stake, the title of the Best Futsal team in Dubai, a glittering trophy, Nike gift vouchers worth AED 1,500 for each player of the winning team and of course, most importantly, bragging rights.

It was clear from the beginning that the likes of Ahdaaf, Faris Abu Mayaleh, Lambo and Unknown would be vying for the title, each of them were the table toppers in their respective qualifying groups. The format of the playoffs was such that, the 12 teams were split in half, one half at North and the other at South, each team would play 5 games each, and the team, from each location with most wins [most points] would then qualify for the final. The teams that qualified second in each location would then play a match to decide the 3rd placed team.

As it stood, in the South campus, Faris Abu Mayaleh, Big Sky Wings and Unknown were tied for the top spot, with Faris having a game in hand. The calculations showed that if Faris won their last game they would qualify for the finals along with Unknown, placed second. The team that stood between the much fancied Faris and the final was, Showtime FC. The match started and after going 3 goals down, it was Faris looking down the barrel of the gun and not Showtime, they did an excellent job of containing a cereberal team. The game ended 3-1 and it was time for some recalculations as 4 teams stood level at the top, to everyone’s utter shock, it wasn’t Faris Abu Mayaleh or Unknown but Showtime FC who qualified for the final due to their superior goal difference. They qualified by a mere 1 goal difference, ten to second placed Unknown’s nine. Shocked? Hey, welcome to the summer of upsets!

News from the North came in that the other team to qualify for the final was Ahdaaf FC, no surprises there, still unbeaten and still the favorites. Lambo qualified second.

To say that the final was a match up of David vs Goliath proportions was saying the least. Showtime had lost 4 games on the way to the final and Ahdaaf were unbeaten. Ahdaaf, with their emarati flair, was a team full of strikers while Showtime’s main weapon was an exceptional goalkeeper. The whispers in the crowd resonated loud and clear, there was no way Showtime stood a chance, the final was going to be a sham and their victory over Faris Abu Mayaleh was a mere accident.

Showtime knew what lay ahead, a juggernaut by the name of Ahdaaf, a hostile crowd, which was expecting them to fail and the subconscious understanding of their own flaws as a team.

The final was split into two 15-minute halves. The crowds gathered, the whistle blew, everyone braced themselves for a barrage of goals in Showtime’s net, the goals never came.

Showtime employed the same tactics that helped them defeat Faris, tight man to man defence, and attacking on the counter. Ala, Showtime’s talismanic goal keeper dominated his team’s proceedings like a general controlling his battalion, fearless, the ball had to go through him before hitting the net, and he would not have it, such was his authority that the ball would have frozen in mid air if so he wished. With the athleticism that would be a young man’s envy, he dove, he flew, he screamed orders, he taunted the opposing strikers; take your best shot! <

There are moments in great games, that help define them throughout history, it was Steven Gerrard’s first goal in that famous final against Milan, that spurred their comeback, it was Iniesta’s late strike against Chelsea that will forever be remembered in their campaign to win the treble, and Showtime were just about to experience their moment.

In an apparent effort to clear the ball, Ahdaaf’s defender headed the ball back to the goal keeper, the goal keeper was caught offguard, the whole crowd watched in slow motion as the ball landed softly in Ahdaaf’s net, silence, disbelief, jubilation. The own goal may appear as a tame way to take a lead in a final, but Showtime realized something else very quickly, they had just discovered Ahdaaf’s achilles heels: their goal keeper.

The first half ended in Showtime’s favor , 1-0.

All wasn’t lost for Ahdaaf. All they had to do was equalize to restore their confidence. One goal would open the flood gates. One goal to restore the crowds’ faith. But it wasn’t meant to be.

The second half started, within minutes, Alex scored Showtime’s second. The chinks were starting to appear in Ahdaaf’s armour, in order to score a goal they were leaving their defences wide open. Showtime scored their third goal before Ahdaaf could score their first. Towards the end of the game Showtime was clearly controlling the pace, they scored twice more, before the game was brought to an end.

In 40 minutes, Showtime changed the entire course of the tournament, beating two teams who were all but assured of winning the tournament. Everywhere you looked there were knowing smiles, everyone knew they had witnessed something special, an unfancied side had just routed the unbeaten.

It takes a team of men to accept defeat, not only were Ahdaaf gracious in defeat, but they played with the same modesty with which they dominated the entire tournament. I’ve seen too often teams resorting to fouling and shoving when defeat is apparent, but not Ahdaaf, their conduct; impeccable. It was almost heart breaking to watch them lose and I really hope, next time, they manage to finish what they started in this tournament.

Lambo finished in 3^rd place after their encounter with Unknown. A special shout out to the boy’s in Lambo, they drive down all the way from Abu Dhabi to play football in the DUPLAYS leagues, real commitment to the sport they love.

So that’s football ladies and gentlemen. Today’s lesson: maybe it’s not about the fancied or the team with the big billing, maybe it’s about who turns up and puts on a show, and this time, it was unmistakably, Showtime!

NikeFive blog post by Muhammad Nauman. DUPLAYS would like to thank Mohammad for his great writing and work on the whole DUPLAYS NikeFive event.

The 12 last teams standing, that spilt blood and sweat, for 8 weeks and 16 games will be listed at the end of this post. Yes, the NikeFive preliminaries are over, and from 70 teams the best of the best have survived and advanced to Champions Day.

They fought brave opponents and crippling injuries, they showed character, presence of mind, team spirit and most of all perseverance, that never say die attitude that truly defines the great. All of this to qualify for that one day of reckoning, the day every team will bow before them and crown them Champions of NikeFive.

D-Day is Saturday May 30th, Raffles South/North, 10am – 1:30 pm – mark your calendars.

The playoffs are a different experience altogether, the buzz, the heightened senses, everyone knows what’s at stake, won’t let the 8 weeks go in vain, won’t go out without a fight. All the teams come early with their group of supporters, some come early to warm up, some to fight the nerves and some are there to gauge the competition. The atmosphere is electric, as soon as the whistle blows and the ball is touched, it is nothing but drama for the next 24 minutes, enough to rival a world cup final, and the best part is still to come.

The playoff format required each team to play to 2 24-minute legs against the same opponent, the winner decided based on the most aggregate goals. Here are some excerpts from the playoff games on Wednesday and Saturday.

Showtime FC vs Bacalao Bacalao

It was a battle between the Spaniards and best cable service providers in Dubai? Haha [orbit would beg to differ].. From the outset this game was a battle of the goal keepers. Alaa of Showtime FC and Josep Gambau of Bacalao. Both these keepers have been outstanding and have been leaders on the pitch as their players battled it out. The score after the first leg was 1-1, both goal keepers resolute and strong. In the second leg, Bacalao finally succumbed, owing to some clinical finishing from the Showtime strikers, not taking anything away from Josep, the two goals that went in could not have been stopped by even the likes of Van Der Sar. Winner: Showtime

ACWA vs Dubai Financial Market

The most entertaining match by a mile, it was basically a contest between team ACWA and a particular player from DFM I like to call the little green fairy [LGF], owing to his diminutive size, lightning pace and lime-green coloured rubber soled shoes, that could probably be seen from Sharjah. The first leg started off with ACWA going down two goal thanks to some lightning paced dribbling from the LGF, it was truly mesmerizing, one second the ball is at his feet the next second its in the goal. Any other team would buckle under such pressure, but kudos to acwa they stuck to their guns, equalized and took a three goal lead, at half time the score was 6-3. The second half was even more action packed, acwa scores one, dfm equalizes, acwa scores another dfm equalizes. The difference was that dfm relied on pace which finally lead to exhaustion and ACWA relied on passing and finishing, and I cant finish this post without mentioning ACWA’s captain, Mazin, for excellent, excellent finishing and leading his team when they fell behind initially.

Faris Abu Mayaleh vs Dream Team

A contest between the first placed team and the sixth placed team, in my mind Faris looked set to roll over the dream, but I was pleasantly surprised. The boys from Dream Team gave Faris quiet a run for their money the first half ended 4-2, enough for Dream Team to rally back and pull off an upset in the second half. But like true champions, you stick to your guns, keep you head down, pass the ball and finish, that’s exactly what Faris did and they triumphed 3-1 in the second leg.

Unknown vs Pink Panther

At first glance the pink panther outfit would look like kids from high school, but it just so happens that most of the players were young guns still in school. They actually made it all the way to the playoffs. Unknown were the group leaders from Saturday. From the get go the game was extremely physical, pushes, shoves, slide tackles. What surprised me most was that the pink panthers kept up with their adult counterparts, if not in goals, then in effort. After the first half the score was 2-0. In the second half, the pink panthers came back to score one goal and it was amazing to see the jubilation on the faces of the kids, as they sensed a potential equalizer. Alas, Pink Panther’s inexperience gave way to two more goals and the game ended 4-1 for the Unknown.

Boys and Girls, to say the Champions Day is going to be action packed and full of surprises is saying the least, come watch these warriors battle it out, no holds barred, this Saturday May 30th. As I promised, the esteemed list:

North Campus – Group A
Players Club
Dragon Flying
Big Sky Wings
Faris Abu Mayaleh
Showtime FC
Unknown

South Campus – Group B
Desert Chill United
Ahdaaf
FIFA
Zinkeiros
ACWA
Lambo

Are you a referee and looking for some additional ways to make some money, and get yelled at? Immediately, we are looking for qualified referees in both Dubai & Abu Dhabi for:

• football (soccer)
• touch rugby
• basketball
• netball
• and more…

Are you passionate about a sport and want the chance to meet others who share your passion?  Be a league admin and get paid for it.

Apply  Here