Dubai Sports City expects to house 20,000 people within a year, as the mixed-use complex expects to attract new tenants.
The city is part of the ambitious Dubailand project. Dubailand was announced in 2003, but many of its projects fell by the wayside in the wake of the global financial crisis of 2008.
Now many of them are being built.
Dubai Sports City, a 50-million square foot community off Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, is home to 15,000 people across 6,000 apartments and 1,000 villas.
About 70 per cent of the villas and 60 per cent of the apartments are occupied.
In February, the Dubai developer GGICO launched apartments targeting middle-income families with prices starting at Dh799,846. The offering is sold out.
Dubai Sports City expects to attract 5,000 residents to its existing projects this year, and it expects to have 70,000 people when it is fully completed in the next seven years.
It would also have 200,000 square feet of retail space, including shops in the housing developments.
Nearly 45,000 sq ft of shops and restaurants at Canal Residence Phase 1 will open at the end of this month. The remaining retail space would be available for lease in the first quarter of next year, said a spokesman.
“With the population in areas such as Mirdif, the Palm, Sports City, Jumeirah Village Triangle and Circle increasing in line with new residential development, there is a need to provide more local or convenience retailing to service their day-to-day requirements,” said Craig Plumb, the regional head of research at the property consultancy JLL.
Dubai Sports City has houses and retail outlets across its Victory Heights villa complex, which borders The Els Club’s 18-hole golf course, Canal Residence West, Canal Promenade Retail and Sports Village.
The master developer Dubai Properties Group, which is part of Dubai Holdings, expects to build more schools for 5,000 students.
It houses the Bradenton Preparatory Academy, managed by Gems Education, and Victory Heights Primary School.
The Sports Village features Football Zone, International Cricket Council Academy, rugby and football pitches, outdoor courts, an Olympic-sized swimming pool and food and beverage outlets.
The Pakistan-England cricket test series will be held at the Dubai International Stadium in October.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company Profile
Company name: Yeepeey
Started: Soft launch in November, 2020
Founders: Sagar Chandiramani, Jatin Sharma and Monish Chandiramani
Based: Dubai
Industry: E-grocery
Initial investment: $150,000
Future plan: Raise $1.5m and enter Saudi Arabia next year
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
UAE jiu-jitsu squad
Men: Hamad Nawad and Khalid Al Balushi (56kg), Omar Al Fadhli and Saeed Al Mazroui (62kg), Taleb Al Kirbi and Humaid Al Kaabi (69kg), Mohammed Al Qubaisi and Saud Al Hammadi (70kg), Khalfan Belhol and Mohammad Haitham Radhi (85kg), Faisal Al Ketbi and Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)
Women: Wadima Al Yafei and Mahra Al Hanaei (49kg), Bashayer Al Matrooshi and Hessa Al Shamsi (62kg)
Company%20Profile
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Under 19 Cricket World Cup, Asia Qualifier
Fixtures
Friday, April 12, Malaysia v UAE
Saturday, April 13, UAE v Nepal
Monday, April 15, UAE v Kuwait
Tuesday, April 16, UAE v Singapore
Thursday, April 18, UAE v Oman
UAE squad
Aryan Lakra (captain), Aaron Benjamin, Akasha Mohammed, Alishan Sharafu, Anand Kumar, Ansh Tandon, Ashwanth Valthapa, Karthik Meiyappan, Mohammed Faraazuddin, Rishab Mukherjee, Niel Lobo, Osama Hassan, Vritya Aravind, Wasi Shah
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Funchal via Lisbon, with a connecting flight with Air Portugal. Economy class returns cost from Dh3,845 return including taxes.
The trip
The WalkMe app can be downloaded from the usual sources. If you don’t fancy doing the trip yourself, then Explore offers an eight-day levada trails tour from Dh3,050, not including flights.
The hotel
There isn’t another hotel anywhere in Madeira that matches the history and luxury of the Belmond Reid's Palace in Funchal. Doubles from Dh1,400 per night including taxes.
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
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Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.