Population set to reach 20,000 in next 12 months as new residential, commercial and sports facilities come on line

Dubai - 11 June 2015: Dubai Sports City has revealed the full progress made since the project was launched in 2004, with a huge push towards completion now underway.  

With major milestones set to be met in the next two years, construction on new residential, commercial and sport facilities are scheduled to be completed in what is already a thriving community, which is part of the vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and his focus on healthy lifestyle communities.

The 50-million square feet community – the world’s first integrated purpose-built sports city – located on Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, has already seen huge projects completed such as Victory Heights, The Els Club, Canal Residence West, Canal Retail Promenade and Sports Village, which is constantly growing as more and more residents and visitors use the world-class facilities on offer.

Khalid Al Zarooni, Dubai Sports City President said, “It is wonderful to see Dubai Sports City growing everyday.

“Our aim is to set up a community with an active lifestyle for residents and visitors,” Al Zarooni continued. “With what we already have in place and what is soon to be added, we are quickly becoming the ultimate home and destination.”

With growth currently in full swing, Dubai Sports City expects to see a further 5,000 residents move in over the next 12 months, taking the population to 20,000. Once development is completed, the community will be home to 70,000 people.

On top of the huge effort to make Dubai Sports City a place where an active lifestyle is on residents’ doorsteps, 200,000 square feet of retail space will soon be a part of the community, with shops opening up along the Canal and within the housing developments.

“We’re making great progress now,” said Vijay Sajjanhar, Dubai Sports City CFO. “We have a great mix of residential, sporting facilities and F&B outlets which are proving big success stories.”

As of June 2015, 15,000 residents already call Dubai Sports City home, with Victory Heights, a family-oriented villa complex surrounding The Els Club already well populated. Many high-rise developments are also in use, with major apartment buildings now coming online in a steady stream and the Canal Residences taking shape.

In addition to existing schools such as the Brademton Prep Academy managed by Gems Education and Victory Heights Primary School servicing 2,000 students, extra education facilities will be built catering for 5,000 more students which will further enhance Dubai Sports City’s offerings as a home for families.

Sajjanhar continued: “We are running a marathon, not a sprint. We already have so many facilities in place with more to come so it’s taking shape nicely.

“We must be the first development that built the facilities first. We now also have a fantastic community in place, and we are quickly delivering what is important to us all, enjoying the way of life that Dubai Sports City aims to provide.'

Sports Village, a fully facilitated area in which sport and F&B outlets go hand-in-hand, has seen a huge increase in footfall with the Football Zone, ICC Academy, rugby pitches, outdoor courts, a brand new Fit Republik Gym which offers mixed martial arts, gymnastics and a Olympic sized swimming pool all available for use. Sports Village now also includes F&B outlets such as Kickers, a brand new sports bar overlooking the football pitches.

The world-class facilities available at Sports Village, a multi-purpose sport destination area, are now attracting some of the most famous sporting icons in the world as a place to train. Numerous football clubs from Europe are using the facilities as winter training camps and 48 major international cricket teams have visited the ICC Academy over the past 18 months including England, Australia and South Africa.

The hotly contested Pakistan v England Test Series is to be staged at the Dubai International Stadium in October, as well as events such as Oktoberfest. Further still, Friday Night Live, a weekly community event already a part of the entertainment on offer is another example of what Dubai Sports City is offering.