Dubai Sports City Cricket Stadium Opens Tomorrow
CEO Calls Opening Match Day the ‘Realization of a Dream’:
Australia vs. Pakistan ODI will Inaugurate 25,000 Seat Multipurpose Venue
After more than three years and USD 100 million in investment, the official opening tomorrow of the 25,000 seat cricket stadium at Dubai Sports City has been called the realization of a dream, says its CEO.
Inaugurated tomorrow with a one day international cricket match between Australia and Pakistan, the Dubai Sports City cricket stadium – the only one of its kind in Dubai, and among the very best purpose-built cricket stadiums in the world – will serve as a venue for international and domestic cricket as well as hosting a significant number of international caliber entertainment events.
“Just three years ago, the founding partners of Dubai Sports City set out to build one of the world’s best cricket stadiums, and today we have realized that dream,” said U. Balasubramaniam, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Sports City.
“This stadium, together with the ICC Global Cricket Academy which is located onsite, will serve as a global centre of excellence for cricket. Tomorrow’s match between two of the world’s best sides is further testament to the potential of this facility as a truly international venue for test, one-day international, and Twenty:20 cricket matches.”
From its inception, Dubai Sports City board members set out to build a best-in-class facility, to ICC standards, from the design of its roof structure based on the traditional Arabic tent, to the meticulous detail shown in the construction and maintenance of the pitch which simulates playing conditions on surfaces from three different continents.
The Dubai Sports City Cricket Stadium is bowl shaped, providing excellent views from every seat in the ground and simultaneously bringing the spectators closer than ever to the action.
The player’s changing rooms will be among the most luxurious and spacious of any cricket ground in the world. With indoor and outdoor pitch-side seating, physiotherapy and massage rooms, a raised lounge with a view of the pitch, locker rooms and dining areas, the Dubai Sports City cricket stadium will provide the world-class player with everything they need.
Within the media centre there are 82 indoor press seats with cable and wireless internet connection and excellent views of the stadium. The exceptionally well appointed VVIP and Gold boxes will hold more than 100 people, with 24 luxurious boxes on the lower level adjacent to VVIP and Gold Boxes and 17 high quality corporate boxes looking out on to the pitch from the top level of the venue.
Designed by world-renowned architects Gerkan, Marg, and Partner (GMP) – famous for their work on Berlin Olympic Stadium and Commerzbank Arena in Frankfurt – the Dubai Sports City cricket stadium will boast state-of-the-art facilities for players, match officials, VIPs, spectators, and the media.
Dubai Sports City’s cricket stadium will be the first of four stadiums to be completed, with a 60,000 capacity multi-purpose stadium for football, track and field, and rugby; a field Hockey Stadium capable of holding up to 5,000 spectators, and an indoor arena that will house 10,000 supporters for a wide range of sports including basketball, indoor hockey, volleyball, handball, netball and ice hockey.
