Dubai: Danube Group, a Dubai-based diversified family-owned business yesterday had a soft launch of Danube Sports World – the largest indoor sports facility in the Middle East, set up on a 200,000 square feet plot of land in the shape of a massive inflated dome, next to Habtoor City and Aykon City on Sheikh Zayed Road.
The 25 metres high temperature-controlled inflated dome features indoor cricket, padel tennis, badminton, football, table tennis and boxing courts and comes with 150 car parking facility.
The courts also come equipped with features like cameras to livestream game, referees to monitor next game and much more. It has ample lockers and changing room facilities, first-aid clinic, a gymnasium and a café – for users to socialise in between playing and working out.
“Innovation will determine the success of businesses. As an innovative and forward-looking business group, we constantly try to innovate by incorporating new ideas into action – that leads to creating new business verticals to help our clients,” Rizwan Sajan Chairman and Founder of Danube Group says.
“Danube Sports World is an innovative idea that has now been executed to benefit our clients. There is a big demand for such facilities, however only a few have set up indoor sports facilities, which are small compared to the existing demand.
“Sports can de-stress a professionals or businessmen under duress or pressure.”
The launch of Danube Sports World takes place at a time when the Dubai Fitness Challenge gets underway to help people get back in shape. The market value of the global fitness industry is more than US$87 billion while the US fitness industry revenue in 2021 exceeded US$33.25 billion, according to statistics.
Between now and 2028, the global fitness industry is expected to grow at 171.75 percent to US$434.74 billion.
Players can order from the café through QR codes and refreshments are delivered to the players’ court. Customers can book a game to play through an app powered by Platomic.
Adel Sajan, Managing Director of Danube Group, who came up with the brilliant idea to set up Danube Sports World, says, “This is going to be the most popular go-to sporting and recreational centre in the UAE where consumers are now trying to mix sports and recreational facilities as part of their socialising process.
“Most people want to try to do some sporting activities even when they socialise. Sports is gaining popularity in the UAE and GCC as a medium of socialising and healthy activity and this trend is going to grow as a global phenomenon. We are the first one in the Middle East to set it up – to fulfil a widening gap.”
“We have all got together here today to not only experience this beautiful structure but to also witness this amazing introduction to the padel community in Dubai.”
Danube Sports World partners with Emirates Padel Centre to be its Official Padel Operators and introduce the Bela Padel Concept in Dubai with none other than the legend himself Fernando Belasteguin. This partnership will bring together the best padel community to the best padel facility in the region to provide the best padel training. Customers will be able to experience what it feels like to play like Bela in the official WPT special edition court and train like Bela.
The launch ceremony of Danube Sports World was attended by a long list of celebrities and VIPs of the UAE, including and not limited to: Sheikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Bin Juma Al Maktoum, President of UAE Padel Association; Nasser Al Neyadi or famously known as Fazza Sky, Founder of Emirates Padel Center; Sheikh Rashed Bin Ammar Bin Humaid Al Nuaimi; Fernando Belasteguín, a legend from Argentina that took over the Padel world. He was the youngest player to hold a World No.1 title at 22 years old. He has been the Padel World Champion for 16 years in a row (2002-2018) and recently won the title of world number one player in his recent match.
Among others, Teddy Puig, CEO and Partner One16Sports & Bela Padel Center; Batata Fermin, Head Coach & Co-Founder of Emirates Padel Center; Khalid Al Awar, Director of Sports Events, Dubai Sports Council; Hareb Albastaki, Partnerships Assistant Manager, LIV by Emirates NBD; Tarek Al Sakka is CEO of Dubai Refreshment Co.; Suhail Galadari, Co-Chariman of Galadari Brothers; Felix Ruiz Hernandez, CEO/Founder of Playtomic; Rafih Filli, Founder & CEO of FiLLi Café; David Nalbandian, Argentine Tennis Player who won 11 Singles titles and in 2003 he reached his highest ranking of World No. 3.
Other VIP guests include Roy Gomez, Chairman of Brand Folio, Tom Foley, General Manager – Go Sport, Courir, NBA and Peter Michael, Senior Partnerships Manager at Careem.
