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.

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.

“Play sports!” Abu Dhabi Week (6-Dec-2009)

If you’re new to Abu Dhabi or are just looking for opportunities to get involved in sport then Duplays could be for you. It organises mixed- and single-gender sports leagues in and around the UAE. Many of the leagues are recreational rather than competitive, which means that it’s more about sport, fun, and exercise and less about skill, technique, and competition.

The good news is that Duplays is now signing up for new leagues starting in the middle of January. Among some of the leagues starting in January are men’s and women’s basketball leagues and a mixed touch rugby league at Yasmina School in Khalifa City. There is also an eight-a-side cricket league and men’s and women’s five-a-side football leagues taking place at the Dome at Rawdhat, in the Grand Mosque area, and a new mixed volleyball league is being formed at the Sheraton Hotel on the Corniche.

“A summer fling: Time Out sweats it out in one of DUPLAYS [ultimate frisbee] ‘sauna’ leagues” Time Out Dubai (18-Jun-2009)

Developed in the heady days of ’60s America, Ultimate Frisbee has garnered something of a cult following in Dubai. ‘I got to get in some ‘ultimate’ before heading home,’ says one expat to us before high-fiving a subbed teammate and sprinting on to the pitch. The sport manages to draw a consistently strong crowd of equally easy-going sorts to a floodlit softball field off Sheikh Zayed Road, even at the height of summer.

Ultimate frisbee was the league that DUPLAYS launched with last year, and it has since established a number of other very relaxed, popular leagues in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

“Pitching into a league of good sports” The National (4-May-2009)

What started as a loose grouping of about 30 friends has now developed into a sports portal with more than 6,000 registered members across the UAE.

“Friends brought friends, who brought colleagues, who brought their wives, who joined the leagues.”

Personal interaction between players, and between Emiratis and expatriates, is just as important as the sports themselves.

In any one season, DUPLAYS organises sports leagues for more than 1,500 active members, with others using the portal to connect with each other for everything from squash to scuba diving. DUPLAYS.com offers an eclectic list of games, from cricket to ultimate frisbee and dodgeball. The website lists leagues that players can join – for example, in Abu Dhabi the ultimate frisbee group called “Disco-no-ball”, for mixed teams, meets on Tuesdays at Zayed Sports City from 8pm onwards.

“DO PLAY” LiveWorkExplore (Apr-May-2009)

Dubai and Abu Dhabi-based sportsmen can now get back into fitness or try their hand (or feet) at a new hobby. DUPLAYS organizes leagues [and connects sport lovers] in a huge range of activities from archery to ultimate frisbee plus all the usual five-aside football and racquet sports you would expect. With leagues starting throughout the year you just need to gather your teammates together, pay the fee (it works out to around Dhs.30 per person per game for a team of 11 taking part in an eight week league) then play your socks off for glory.

“Women’s Sport in Dubai” TimeOut Dubai (9-Mar-2009)

Basketball: ‘I come all the way from Ajman to play,’ says Kirsty. ‘I was so surprised when I first turned up. Other women have been forced to play mixed games or haven’t been able to play at all before now.’

Netball: You can enter as a team, if you’re lucky enough to have one all ready to go, or as an individual. If you come along by yourself you’ll be placed in a team of like-minded ladies. ‘Our aim,’ says organiser Emma Moffat, ‘is to enjoy the game in a fun and social setting.’

“Soccer passion runs high” Gulf News (18-Nov-2008)

Are you one of those people who dreamed of having a career in football, but missed the cut on your local football team? Well, your days of hopelessness over time lost are about to end.

“That’s the way DUPLAYS!” City Times (13-Oct-2008)

As one networking portal aims to increase public health and shatter segregation through sport, its founders talk about why Dubai residents need to look beyond shopping to unwind…

“Explorer TOP 10″ 7 Days (21-Sep-2008)

One of the simplest sports to play – all you need are a few people, a bit of space, and, of course, a Frisbee – the game of Ultimate is a hybrid of team sports such as football and netball, using a disc instead of a ball. Teams are usually mixed, and the sport is relaxed and sociable…

“DUPLAYS game plan” Gulf News (16-Apr-2008)

The idea was formed around the company’s website which acts as a platform connecting UAE residents through sport, and those who register can also post their events.

Derv Rao: “All we wanted to do was play and be able to unite people of different backgrounds. In September 2007, we found a field, got some people together and that’s really when it hit us and DUPLAYS.com took off from there,”