The games people play to relax

Dubai: "Whenever I reminisce about my childhood with friends, Al Nasr LeisureLand always comes up in the conversation because that was the only place where we used to go," said Rasha Saif, a 29-year-old Emirati.

As a child growing up in the early 1980s, it was the only place where family entertainment was available. "It was the time when shopping centres were still a rare sight."

Al Nasr LeisureLand was built on a 48-acre site and opened on October 10, 1979, to provide a family-oriented leisure centre for sports and entertainment.

Located in Bur Dubai off Zabeel Road the sports and leisure club continues to offer a variety of sports facilities that include an ice skating rink, bowling alley, swimming pool as well as children's amusement and theme park.

"I vividly recall the security guard who used to work there because he had such a big moustache and wore a peculiar looking hat. That is something my friends and I will never forget because he looked so funny to us back then," said Rasha.

A major attraction for children was the ice skating rink and Emirati Mai Faisal, 27, said she remembers the fun and excitement she enjoyed as a child.

"I was about 11-years old, and remember my mother taking my sister and me for private ice-skating classes twice a week. I loved playing in the Fruit Garden with the giant-sized apple and pears," she said, adding that the bumper cars and the swings were always crowded with children waiting their turn.

Today, Al Nasr LeisureLand continues to host resident bands and international performances. To keep up with its large number of visitors, future plans for the club include upgrading children's rides and opening a new extension.

Ever since the club opened in the late 1970s it has been a big hit among members. It soon opened to the general public with one-day passes.

Al Nasr LeisureLand gained fame in 1979 as being the first venue in Dubai to have an Olympic-size ice skating rink, and one of its first ice-skating instructors and supervisors was C.T. Mathew, who is currently the assistant operations manager.

Regular maintenance

The rink has been meticulously maintained for almost three decades through ammonia gas that passes through pipes located under the concrete floor.

The ice is kept at a thickness of two inches, and an ice resurfacer (commonly known as a Zamboni) shaves and cleans the ice at two-hour intervals.

Mathew is the longest-serving staff member and has worked with the club since its launch. Having seen the influx of shopping centres and sports complexes, particularly in the past 15 years, he is confident that the club will continue to thrive.

"There was no challenge because there was only one other club in Dubai at the time, and we were the first sports complex. There was empty land all around us, and we were the only building in the area. We were instantly a big hit with the families."

Even though the city is constantly developing and more sports centres are coming up, he said the strongest asset of the club is its prime location and the ability to offer all types of sports under one roof, such as karate, squash, bowling and swimming.

Mathew once played football in India and heard about a job in the place from his friends who were working with the India Tourism Development Corporation.

"My friends told me that a sports complex was opening soon in Dubai and that it was receiving a lot of publicity in the local newspapers," he said.

He decided to join the club with an initial two-year contract.

After teaching ice skating for eight years, he was promoted to assistant operations manager and has never looked back since.

"I never thought I'd be here for 28 years, but I like the place and I feel like it's home. I don't feel like an expatriate and that's why I've stayed."