Dp World to support Al Nasr football club in a major boost to 3 times national champions

In a major initiative to support the UAE’s strong sporting traditions, DP World, UAE Region has signed an agreement with the country’s oldest sports establishment, Al Nasr Club, to sponsor the three-time national champions in the UAE Pro-League football championships.

Under the strategic partnership, the region’s premier port operator will sponsor the “Blue Wave” boys, as the team is known by its fans, for all the games of the 2013-14 national football league season, with the Al Nasr players sporting DP World colours on their shirts.

The agreement was signed by Mohammed Al Muallem, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, DP World, UAE Region, and Ahmed Khouri, Vice President of Al Nasr Sports Club and Al Nasr Football Company, at Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai.

Founded in 1945 and chaired by HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Finance Minister and Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Al Nasr – which means “Victory” in Arabic – boasts an outstanding track record having won all three of the biggest national football tournaments, the UAE League Championship, UAE President Cup and the UAE Union Cup, on three occasions, in addition to flying the national colours at international tournaments.

Mohammed Al Muallem, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, DP World, UAE Region, said: “DP World is delighted to support Al Nasr and the vision and plans of this pioneering sports establishment.  They have set high standards for generations of young Emiratis, encouraging professionalism, team work and the spirit of winning – values that as a company we also ascribe to. We hope that our sponsorship will help Al Nasr to build even further its reputation as a formidable force in the UAE’s favourite sport.”                                                                                      

Ahmed Khouri, Vice President of Al Nasr Sports Club and Al Nasr Football Company, said: “We are very pleased to welcome DP World, UAE Region as a strategic partner, supporting us in our ongoing pursuit of excellence as we further develop the capabilities of Al Nasr, its team and the sport of football in the UAE as a whole, promoting and contributing to the long term health and wellbeing of Emirati youth.”

Al Nasr’s illustrious collection of trophies include the UAE League Championship in 1978, 1979 and 1986; the UAE President Cup in 1985, 1986 and 1989; and the UAE Union Cup in 1988, 2000 and 2002. The club has also participated in the Asia Football Federation’s Club Championships and the Asian Cup Winners’ Cup.

Their Al Maktoum Stadium opened in 1978 with a match between Al Nasr and Liverpool Football Club, the first time a top class European football team had played in Dubai.