Duplays spreads the word in UAE corporate sports

From sports days to corporate leagues, in-house exercise classes to wellness programmes, Duplays has been employed by UAE businesses such as FGB, Etisalat and Al Futtaim, with 30 corporate events a year.

The Koora Dome in Dubai, which is run by Duplays. Reem Mohammed / The National

Duplays has spent a decade getting UAE residents into amateur sports, with 2,000 people playing in its social leagues each week – but it has also been quietly, but surely, growing out its corporate sports arm for the past six years.

From sports days to corporate leagues, in-house exercise classes to wellness programmes and education, it has been employed by UAE businesses such as FGB, Etisalat and Al Futtaim, with some 30 corporate events a year.

“Organising wellness programmes was a natural progression, as a lot of people playing in our leagues were human resources or wellness managers,” says director Muhammad Nauman, who has been with Duplays for seven years.

Duplays organised a six-week tournament for 1,300 Abu Dhabi-based labour camp workers, with cricket, football, basketball, table tennis and badminton and free fitness tests, on behalf of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council.

A Duplays project manager works permanently with the Abu Dhabi health insurance company Daman, organising lunchtime and post-work classes for about 200 employees a week on-site – low-intensity yoga and meditation at lunch, Zumba, circuit training and kickboxing in the evening.

“We recommend having classes in-house,” says Mr Nauman. “You’ll see better results and attendance.”

They also managed the Roads and Transport Authority’s Public Transport Day on November 1 for three years running – an amazing race between metro stations in year one, a basketball event at Al Ghubaiba metro station in the second year and an open gym, with Crossfit, tennis and yoga, for metro users at Downtown Dubai last November.

“Companies investing in staff is a timely reminder that health and wellness are important for employees in their personal lives as well as their careers,” says Mr Nauman.

“Corporate sports give employees an association with the company brand, an identity when they play against other companies, a chance to bond with colleagues and get a sense of loyalty and direction. And it allows them to be a kid all over again.”

Some staff may even have had a professional or semi-professional career in their home countries, he says, and a corporate game gives them the opportunity to show off their skills to their bosses and excel outside of work while having a full-time career.=

Q&A

What are the most popular sports for a corporate event?

Football, cricket and basketball are the mainstays, says Mr Nauman – football as it’s international and the national sport of the UAE, while “the sub-continent is obsessed with cricket and the Filipino community loves basketball”. Additionally, Duplays normally has bowling events, badminton, tennis and squash.

How do you ensure women get sporty?

Mr Nauman says there are always surprises – such as a Filipina who was “an amazing cricket player”. But they will also run team-building activities that don’t need specific skills, such as dodgeball or an obstacle course. And some companies, such as Al Futtaim, set rules that any participating team needs to have a woman member on court at all times.

Sports leagues and events aside, what about Duplays having its own sports centre?

They’re on it. There’s the Ronaldinho Soccer Academy, and new Koora Dome at Al Wasl Club in Dubai, a mobile, air-conditioned sports facility with three indoor and two outdoor pitches, primarily for football, but which can also be hired for cricket and volleyball. “There’s a lack of good facilities in the region,” says Mr Nauman. They are also developing an app for sports such as squash and tennis, with the intention of getting sports venues that only take bookings by phone to use the app as their online booking system.

Isn’t there some national day for this now?

The first National Sports Day was November 25 2015. “It’s a government mandate so there are a lot of local company and Sports Council events in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai,” says Mr Nauman. “People have had a chance to learn about it and it falls on a Friday, so we’re hoping it will be bigger and better this year.”

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