Dubai: The Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the Fifa Club World Cup UAE 2017 has launched an initiative intended to swell stadium attendances while engaging fans in a more comprehensive manner during the build-up to the big event in December.
The 14th edition of the Fifa Club World Cup will pit champion clubs from each of the six continental confederations along with the national league champions Al Jazira. Real Madrid, who play Italian giants Juventus in the final of the Uefa Champions League this weekend, are the defending champions.
Eight matches will be held from December 6 to 16, with Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi hosting five, while Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain will stage the remaining three games.
In order to have a sustained and enhanced participation from fans across the country and Gulf region, the LOC has launched the ‘Fifa Club World Cup UAE 2017 Challenge’ as part of its roadshow towards the December event.
The initiative has two separate parts — a comprehensive one termed ‘Experience’ that involves 12 activations and a smaller one named ‘Excitement’ with seven activations. The ‘Experience’ is scheduled to be floated along with the launch of ticket sales for the competition at the Abu Dhabi Corniche on June 1, while the ‘Excitement’ package has already been pressed into service at various venues across the country including the ongoing Nad Al Sheba (NAS) Ramadan Sports Tournament.
Fans need to just turn up at the Nas Sports Complex and be part of the seven activations that are part of the ‘Excitement’ package. Along with the participation, fans will also be handed a voucher that can be later redeemed for a Fifa Club World Cup Cup ticket. Closer to the date of the competition, the number of vouchers can simply be redeemed for tickets to the December showpiece.
“This is the first time a football experiential activity on this scale has been launched in the UAE as an extension of the tournament. The roadshow will tour 75 locations and reach more than 200,000 people across the UAE. This is one sure way of getting the younger generation engaged with such an important competition. I encourage everyone to take part in this exciting roadshow to compete for the title of ‘Fifa Club World Cup UAE 2017 Hero’,” Aref Al Awani, Tournament Director, LOC, told Gulf News.
The LOC has already identified nine shopping malls as its partners to launch the initiative, while visits to schools and universities have already been planned at a later date. “We also plan to get the UAE clubs involved in this and we will launch that closer to the start of the new Arabian Gulf League in August or September,” he added.
Further, there are plans to take the initiative into the corporate sector while also targeting big social and cultural events such as concerts and performances that are held all over the UAE from time to time. “The ultimate goal is to ensure we have packed stadiums when the best club teams play in Abu Dhabi,” Al Awani noted.