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
DUPLAYS is glad to announce its August and September sport leagues for Dubai and Abu Dhabi. During Ramadan the workdays are shorter, so take advantage of the extra time to get more active AND increase your social network. Join a team sport and be social!
Select your city to jump to DUPLAYS leagues where you live: Dubai or Abu Dhabi.
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For a calendar listing of all DUPLAYS Dubai sport leagues, with facility details, click here.
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For a calendar listing of all DUPLAYS Abu Dhabi sport leagues, with facility details, click here.
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Do U PLAYS Sports?!
DUPLAYS is the UAE’s largest sport and social club. www.DUPLAYS.com
Play sport. Be social.
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With DUPLAYS 1st ever Social Event / beach party on June 5th, we’ve been sorting through our best photos from past seasons. We’ve got photos of recent champions in many sports, some even dating back to late 2007, when DUPLAYS began. If you have some more great photos please email them to photos@duplays.com.
All DUPLAYS photos are available on Facebook (direct link) and also from the DUPLAYS.com Facebook group. Tag yourself and your teammates! Also, photos are posted on Picasaweb.
We hope you enjoy these slideshows from each photo gallery below:
American Flag Football
Basketball, Men’s
Basketball, Women’s
Beach Volleyball
Cricket
Dodgeball
Football, Men’s
Football, NikeFive Indoor
Netball
Softball
Touch Rugby
Ultimate Frisbee
Please send us your photos: photos@duplays.com
View all open leagues and sign up today to play: play in Dubai or play in Abu Dhabi.
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 3rd 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:
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.
DUPLAYS first league to launch in Abu Dhabi did so with a flourish of spinning runs, slashing cuts, interceptions, and touch downs. Six teams laced up their cleats and enjoyed recreational flag football action. Here are a few photos from the opener.
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One team needs several more individual players, so if you want in on the action it’s not too late, sign up online here: http://duplays.com/flag-football/?loc=AbuDhabi
Hey football fans, this week NikeFive witnessed some pretty heavy weight encounters, with the top seeds facing off against each other 2 weeks before the playoffs and championship day, dress rehearsal for the final you say? That just might be true, lets see how the big boys fared. Also, a round up of the past week’s UEFA Champions league matches
We have concluded Week 5 here at NikeFive and I can’t help but get excited about the playoffs, which start in 2 weeks. Do you hear that boys? You have 4 games left, 4 games till the real games begin, 4 games to separate the boys from the men. As an administrator, I feel the real joy is in watching teams come together and finding their winning formula, I’m not talking about the Zinks or the Adhaafs I’m talking about the mid table teams, who may not have started off as spectacularly or may not have achieved immediate success. These boys have come in week after week, determined to improve, pushing each others limits, supporting each other, consoling each other. Everyone loves an under-dog story, and we have plenty of such tales at DUPLAYS.
One such team, who are now playoff contenders, after 2 victories this past week, are Team Hilti, from Matchday Tuesday. This ethnic cocktail of Greek, Indian, Arabic and Iranian boys, who should probably consider starting a restaurant together, are the most cohesive, sporting and encouraging bunch I have seen all tournament. They’ve experienced defeat, but they chose to fight on, and after 5 weeks they are in the top 4 to qualify for the playoffs and I truly hope they achieve that milestone.
It doesn’t get any bigger than Adhaaf FC here at DUPLAYS, their unbeaten run now stretches to 10 straight games, will the emarati boys be crowned the Kings of NikeFive? Only the playoffs will tell.
Big Sky Wings vs Royal Crew
Both these teams were leading the Tuesday tables with 21 points – 7 wins and 1 loss. BSW’s main strike force were Ozkan, Rafael and Thiago and RC’s were Hossam, Craig and Tony. What one would imagine to be a close fight between equally gifted opponents quickly turned into a one sided affair. The Royal Crew could not contain Rafaels offensive runs into their goal, he was duly supported by Thiago as they both comdined for 3 goals. BSW set the pace of the game and won 3-0 and now stand at the head of the table with 27 points.
Barca Suffer the Blues
If you’re a fan of free flowing football, brilliant technique and spanish wizardry that is FC Barcelona, then I hope you weren’t tuned in this Tuesday for the Barca Chelsea bout. It was everything you would expect a big semi-final not to be – an exercise in defensive play. As a journalist rightly said, not only did Chelsea park the team bus in front of their goal, but also the plane that flew them to Barcelona. Hiddink’s boy’s did everything in their power to stop Barcelona from playing their natural game, there were dives, fouls, exchange of heated words, play-acting everything but an attempt at achieving a result. Statistics showed that Barcelona had the lion’s share of the possession and shots on goal.
What really got to me was how the media responded to the goalless draw, they were heaping praise on Chelsea for stunting Barca’s game, preventing them from scoring in the Nou Camp for the first time this season. How is that a compliment? Nobody is talking about how Chelsea failed to take advantage of scoring a vital away goal. How long can Chelsea defend? The return leg is in Stamford Bridge this Wednesday, as far as I’m concerned, Chelsea just lived to die another day.
United they stand
In the other fixture, the red devils stamped their authority all over their semi-final encounter with the gunners. Thanks to cool finishing by John O Shea, united return to the Emirates Stadium, this Tuesday, with a slender one goal advantage.
DUPLAYS Ultimate leagues in Abu Dhabi & Dubai are recreational and social in nature. That being said, Ultimate is emerging as a global sport and has become highly competitive at the upper levels. DUPLAYS started with Ultimate in 2007, and it’s great to read an article affirming the surge in interest in this sport. [from The New York Times]
In the last 10 years, Ultimate Frisbee has become one of the world’s fastest-growing sports. It is played in more than 42 countries. Ultimate’s success at the college level, attracting traditional athletes from other sports like soccerand football to compete on its teams, is largely what has elevated the game to this stage.
And the rise of women in Ultimate is another crucial part of the sport’s growth. Watching these women play, one can see the athleticism that has attracted them: gorgeous arcing throws, full-extension dives, insane vertical leaps, and discs pinched out of the sky with the barest of fingertips. “I play pickup most every week, even in the winter,” said Fi Cheng, 33, who works for a solar backpack company in New York. She helps run a spring and fall league in Prospect Park in Brooklyn, and is treasurer of Westchester Ultimate Disc, the biggest Ultimate organization in the metropolitan area. “I’ve noticed a lot more women playing than when I started. There are women in their late 20s or early 30s who have been playing for 10 years now.”
The Ultimate Players Association, the governing body for the sport in the United States, has nearly 30,000 members. Total membership has risen 168 percent since 2003, when the association began breaking down membership statistics by gender. From 2003 to 2008, membership of women nearly doubled, composing about a third of total membership.
Among members, play spans from beginners’ pickup and laid-back summer leagues to elite clubs like Fury, a women’s team in the Bay Area that has won four national championships and the World Ultimate Championships last year in Vancouver.
Read the rest of the article at nytimes.com. And make sure you’re signed up to play in Ultimate in Abu Dhabi or Dubai. http://DUPLAYS.com/ultimate-frisbee
Ladies and Gentlemen, we have officially entered the half-way mark of the DUPLAYS “NikeFive Indoor” League and we’re also into the final stages of the UEFA Champions league. Anyone else bursting with excitement? Join the club.
As we near the playoffs, everyone is busy counting games, scores, points and goal margins. As it stands we have 3 more weeks of exciting football left, which means all teams have 6 games left to close the gap on the leaders or their closest rival. The top 4 teams from Matchday Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday will qualify for the playoffs and 6 teams from Matchday Monday and Wednesday respectively. Dying to know who’s in and who’s almost there? So am I.
Saturday Top 4 – Unkown, Lambo, Galacticos and Vagabonds
The top 3 teams have 21 points each, while Vagabonds have 15. Close on their heels, with 12 points, is Du. Do they have what it takes? Time will tell.
Sunday – Top 4 – Norfolf Nway, Maths, Desert Chill United, Player Club
This group is proving to be very competitive as the point’s difference between the 3rd placed team and the 7th place team is only 5 points.
Tuesday – Top 4 – Royal Crew, Big Sky Wings, Zinkeiros, Davis Langdon
The top 3 teams seem to have secured their places, with 21 points each, while Davis Langdon have 13. The 4th spot seems to be up for grabs as there is only a 3 point difference between the 4th team and the 10th.
Monday – Top 6 – Adhaaf FC, CCCP, Dragon Flying, Nofolk Enchance, FIFA, P45s
This group too is very competitive. 4 teams have the potential to capture the 6th spot.
Wednesday – Top 6 – Bacalao Bacalao, Faris Abu Mayaleh Group, Showtime FC, ACWA, Dream Team, Dubai Financial Market
This group too is very competitive. 4 teams have the potential to capture the 6th spot.
In 4 weeks the only team to maintain their unbeaten run is ADHAAF FC. Bravo Boys, 8 from 8.
It surprises me, that despite being an annual event, I get so worked up when the Champions league enters its final few rounds. Living under a rock have you? No problem, I’d love to give you a round up of what to expect in the first leg of the champs league, this Tuesday and Wednesday.
Surprise surprise, we have yet another very English affair at our hands, it’s the Red Devils vs the Gunners, it’s the raging scot vs the demure frenchman, its English football at its best I tell you and I just cant wait. Both teams have won their respective domestic league games this weekend, a psychological advantage, the architects being, Fabregas and Ronaldo. Is that a sign? Will Fabregas’s return from injury be instrumental in arsenal’s progress? Will Ronaldo put the transfer speculation aside and lead the devils to their second straight final? It’s all happening at the Theater of Dreams this Wednesday. I dare say the devils are favourites to rout the resurging gunners, anyone know what the bookies at William hill are saying? I for one am with united, there’s something about dynasties, that’s so, alluring, the Celtics of the 70s, the Bulls of the 90s, okay okay so I can’t remember a good football dynasty but honestly id love to see Fergie lift another before he retires.
Camp Nou hosts Guus Hiddinks blue revolution. Can anyone else picture a Spanish juggernaut tearing towards the Chelsea team, waiting to run them over? Too graphic? I’m telling you, I foresee a massacre with Chelsea’s name written all over it. Chelsea fans will do well to remember the Barca side that lifted the cup in 2005, Ronaldinho was in the form of his life and it just so happens that so too is his protege, Messi. Samuel Eto was instrumental in 2005 and amazingly enough he’s at it again in 2009. But hey, as the aptly titled Bond flic, never say never, again.