The Sevens Stadium: Putting community sport on the big stage

Dubai's The Sevens Stadium is renowned for hosting the Middle East’s largest sports and entertainment festival, Dubai Emirates 7s. However, the multi-sport complex, situated on E66 Dubai Al Ain Road, serves far more than just a three-day event. Matthew Burn, Operations Manager of The Sevens Stadium, highlights the venue's commitment to community and grassroots sport.

Despite the main festival weekend, the stadium is filled with up to 8,000 people weekly for activities such as cricket, football, rugby, netball, and padel. Burn emphasizes that the facility's size and variety of sports offered enable children to excel. Moreover, the venue provides a family-friendly atmosphere with a restaurant for parents and fitness spaces.

What sets The Sevens Stadium apart is its capacity to accommodate elite teams from around the globe, providing them a training, preparation, and competition space in Dubai's sun. The stadium's unique blend of international-level sport and community facilities makes it stand out in the city's sporting scene. Notably, the venue has hosted teams like Nottingham Forest and West Ham United, as well as various professional cricket and rugby teams.

Before the main festival, The Sevens Stadium hosts the Youth Sports Festival, which gives young athletes from the UAE the chance to experience a major sporting venue and compete on the same big stage as world-class athletes. This festival, designed for Under-19s and above, offers young athletes aged 13 and up the opportunity to play in the finals after competing in the youth tournament a month earlier.

With tickets now on sale for the Emirates Dubai 7s, which returns to The Sevens Stadium from November 27 to 29, the venue's impact extends beyond one weekend, continually offering opportunities for the next generation of talented athletes in the region.