The $4.4 billion Dubai Sports City (DSC), the world’s first purpose-built sports city – launched as a cornerstone project of Dubailand – is well on course for completion with many of its facilities poised for opening this year.

Set on 50 million sq ft of land within Dubai’s mega tourism and entertainment hub, DSC features four magnificent stadia: a 60,000-seat multi-purpose outdoor stadium for rugby, soccer, and track and field events; a dedicated 25,000-capacity cricket stadium; a 10,000-seat multi-purpose indoor arena for all hard court games, ice hockey, concerts and other events; and a dedicated field hockey venue for 5,000 spectators.
Another star attraction of the new city is the recently launched The Els Club, a 72-par, 18-hole championship golf course, (earlier called the Dunes Golf Club) which was designed by well-known South African golfer Ernie Els. DSC will also house world-renowned sporting academies, and luxurious residential and commercial developments, all combining to form the first-of-its-kind sports city.
The project, which was officially launched in March 2004, has been progressing at a remarkable speed, with key elements expected to be completed this year, says Khalid Al Zarooni, president, Dubai Sports City.
The most significant milestone for the project so far has been the formal launch of The Els Club in January this year. Featuring a range of thoughtfully-placed tee boxes, fairway pot bunkers and green complexes, coupled with carefully-developed undulation, The Els Club’s golf course offers a unique addition to the Middle East’s growing range of world-class golf facilities.
This year will also see significant progress with several signature developments. The cricket and hockey stadia will be completed, along with the entire academies campus including the DSC Football Academy (which will also house Manchester United Soccer Schools), the ICC Global Cricket Academy, the World Hockey Academy and the Olympic-length swimming pool and gymnasium.
Besides the sports facilities, Victory Heights and Canal Residences West, the flagship residential developments that will form the heart of the DSC community, are also developing well and have been attracting growing global interest, he adds.

The Els Club
After a development process involving years of exceptional planning and attention to detail, the successful launch of The Els Club is a massive leap forward for the DSC.
“The Els Club is the first completed venue in Dubai Sports City, and it has been constructed and presented to exceed world-class standards,” says Al Zarooni. “Every aspect of this exclusive development has been created to maximise enjoyment for golfers, spectators and guests alike.”
The Els Club is presently taking memberships, and it will be operational for play from this month (April).
In addition to the 7,538-yard links-style golf course, The Els Club will boast a 60,000 sq ft Mediterranean-style clubhouse, which is currently under construction, where members and guests will have access to a private lounge, state-of-the-art meeting and conference facilities, and a varied choice of dining outlets. The Els Club will be managed by Troon Golf – a global leader in upscale golf course management, development, and marketing.
Speaking on the aspects of the course that set it apart from other golf courses in the Gulf, Robin Evans, director of science and agronomy, Middle East Operations, Troon Gulf, says: “Rather than move away from the desert (on which it is built) and try and imprint a foreign feel or design on it, I think this course has welcomed its roots. The natural features of the high desert dunes and low desert floors with its associated flora and fauna are incorporated in the design, and although there is housing all around and the other services and supplies that a project of this scale demands, the golfer will feel a part of the desert.”
At the same time, sand – which is the basis of so much of the design aspect of the golf course – will be also one of the owner’s biggest challenges, when it comes to maintaining the course. “Sand by its very nature shifts, it shapes itself, and while that has been factored into the design of the course, it will be a big challenge for the maintenance team,” he says.
Commenting on the design of the golf course, Thomas Rubi, general manager, The Els Club says: “The new era ‘player-design” courses are the modern classics and will become the point of reference for contemporary golfers. What’s going to distinguish this club is primarily its design. Ernie has put a lot of passion and time into this project.”
The golf course was constructed by a joint venture of Turnpoint of Australia and the UAE-based Septech. As the clubhouse facilities aren’t finished yet, temporary arrangements have been set up presently.

Sports facilities
When completed, DSC will include a range of cricket facilities including the landmark 25,000-seat cricket stadium, the first ICC Global Cricket Academy, and also house the new headquarters for the ICC. One of the unique aspects of this project is the creation of foreign-style cricket pitches or wickets to reproduce the exact conditions to be found overseas. To create the 28 specialist turf wickets, three different national soil types were imported to Dubai. This investment will enable teams from Europe to practice on Indian-style wickets, and vice-versa.
“Dubai Sports City will be one of the only places in the world where cricketers can train in the exact conditions that they will encounter on overseas tours. For the nations looking to compete in international cricket, it will be a vital resource,” said U Balasubramaniam, CEO, Dubai Sports City.
The main contractor for the stadium is the Alpine Bau Deutschland/ Emirates Belbadi Contracting joint venture, while the work is being supervised by Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM), one of the world’s leading engineering designers of stadia. The field, including wickets, is being built by the France-headquartered Gregori International. The size of the stadium’s wicket table, which has seven turf wickets in the centre, running from north to south is 525 sq m, and the outfield area size is 16,800 sq m. The turf wicket profile has been designed by Tony Hemming – head curator of the ICC Global Cricket Academy – with support from a variety of turf wicket specialists. Gregori International started work on the cricket wicket in November last year. The clay soil is from Nandipur, Pakistan, which was processed and shipped by Super Star Pitch Clay to the UAE last October. The wicket profile has been constructed in two layers on top of a compacted sub-base with a rooftop fall of east/west 1:100. The sub-base compaction reading was 95 per cent. The base has then been covered with a geotextile fabric to ensure the drainage layer, which is installed to a depth of 100 mm, is protected from unwanted materials.
Construction of the stadium’s roof steelwork is also presently under way.
Tennis is also one of the core sports supported by DSC. It will be home to the David Lloyd Tennis Academy as well as providing the future venue for the ‘ Legends’ tournament, once DSC’s indoor arena is completed in 2009. The masterplan of the development also includes nine outdoor courts and six indoor courts to be built at the David Lloyd Tennis Academy.
The construction contract for the indoor arena, with a seating capacity for 10,000 spectators, has been awarded to a joint venture of Max Bogel and Arabtec. The joint venture is now engaged in the preliminary excavation and foundation works for the arena.
Meanwhile, the outdoor multipurpose stadium, with a seating capacity for 60,000 spectators, has also been awarded to the same joint venture under a design/build package. The contractor has completed the bulk excavation for the stadium bowl, while piling is now under way.

Residential areas
Commenting on the residential components of the project, Balasubramaniam, says: “DSC is a thoughtfully masterplanned community, and we’re investing a great deal in ensuring that every element of the modern city will appeal to its residents.
“We are confident that DSC will offer one of the most attractive lifestyle choices available anywhere in the world, reinforced by a high quality of life and by the quality of the residential developments themselves.”
The residential components include Victory Heights and Gallery Villas, both private villa communities set around The Els Club golf course as well as Canal Residence West apartments.
Covering some 25 million sq ft, and designed in the European classical, Mediterranean, or Spanish Andalusian styles, Victory Heights consists of 935 stylish villas and townhouses offering spacious and comfortable family living.
“Victory Heights will offer a first-class living environment and plenty of open space for families and residents. All the villas and community buildings will occupy less than 16 per cent of the total Victory Heights development while the remaining 84 per cent of space will comprise the golf course, public landscaping, parks, biking trails and roads systems,” states Yasser Abdulla Alraee, general manager, Victory Heights Golf Residential and Development.
The Victory Heights development company has recently awarded a $150 million-plus contract for the construction of the final phase of the community to a joint venture of Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T) – India’s largest engineering, technology and construction conglomerate, and Eastern International, a Bukhatir Group Company and one of the leading contractors in the UAE,
Gallery Villas is an exclusive community of luxury detached and attached villas, nestled beside the golf course. Designed in the Mediterranean style, the development offers a choice ranging from spacious three-bedroom attached to five-bedroom detached villas.
Standing majestically on the buzzing Riviera-style waterfront, midway between the northern and southern retail hubs of the vibrant DSC downtown district, Canal Residence West will offer five beautiful buildings sporting the Mediterranean, Venetian, Classic European, Arabian and Spanish Andalusia architectural styles. The development features a selection of studio, one, two and three-bedroom apartments.
Throughout the construction process, the developers are working closely with Bureau Veritas, a globally-recognised consultant, to provide a guarantee of quality and comfort for both Victory Heights and Canal Residence West homeowners.
 “When people buy a property, they typically see only the initial design and its final condition. Bureau Veritas is involved in projects like Victory Heights and Canal Residence West from the design stage through to the handover, to ensure quality and safety requirements are properly planned and implemented at every stage,” says Gaby Rached, chief executive for Dubai, Bureau Veritas.
 “Part of our approach is to engage the ‘best-of-breed in business’ in every aspect of our operations, and the involvement of Bureau Veritas in the design and construction stages of Victory Heights and Canal Residence West reflects that,” declares Balasubramaniam.

Other works
• The sewage treatment plant was awarded to Eagle on a design/build/operate basis, under the supervision of Hyder Consultants. It is expected to be completed in April.
• For DSC’s energy requirements, three 132 kV electric sub-stations are being built by Siemens under a design-and-build contract, supervised by Electrowatt Ekono.
• Khatib & Cracknell, which has completed the concept design for landscaping, is presently working o the schematic design phases for the various areas. Some areas that were not previously included have been added to the scope.
• Wade Adams Contracting Company has been building the structural precast walls and has also begun developing the base/floor for the canal infrastructure and bridges. The work is being supervised by Al Khatib Cracknell in a joint venture with Hyder Consultants.
• The infrastructure and road works for the DSC project, launched in February 2006, were undertaken by Wade Adam Contracting Company, and supervised by Khatib & Alami Consolidated Engineering Company.