The 365-Day Football Club: Soheil Var’s Dubai Masterplan

Dubai: In a sport where long-term planning often defines success, Soheil Var has rewritten the rulebook.

With more than two million followers across his social platforms, the former football player has built something few would even attempt, a professional football club constructed from scratch in just 365 days.

That club, Palm City FC, is now a UAE Second Division champion and FA Cup winner, with back-to-back promotions and a rapidly growing reputation across Middle Eastern football.

Var’s story began when he first arrived in Dubai in 2022, chasing a challenge of trying to sign a pro football contract within 365 days.

"I came to Dubai because I was on this 365-day journey to signing a pro contract, which was my original content idea,” Var explained.

At the time, he had no network, no guarantees, and no clear pathway, his persistence the only thing that helped him through.

After months of failed contacts and daily emails, eventually he received a response from a team in Dubai.  

It was at this point that Var decided to risk everything, booking a one-way flight to the city on nothing more than the promise of a trial.

“Once I got on the ground, I realised the football was at a high level, the facilities were incredible, and the environment was so multicultural,” he said.

“But more importantly, people in Dubai really valued social media, and my whole journey was built on this.”

A successful first season playing UAE football with Gulf United saw Var help the side secure promotion to the UAE First Division. However, despite that achievement, he was dealt an unexpected blow at the end of the campaign when the club decided to release him.

In that difficult moment of being let go, he made a decision that would define what came next, turning disappointment into opportunity, and using that setback as the foundation for what has since grown into one of the UAE’s standout sporting success stories.

“The turning point for me was when I set the challenge of building a pro football club in just 365 days,” stated var.

“It’s something that’s never been done before, I mean, building a pro club from scratch when you have absolutely nothing is already a massive venture and a huge challenge, but trying to do it in a year, I knew that was going to take every bit of my effort, energy, and resources.”

It’s no secret that UAE football is yet to offer the same financial rewards as top European leagues, meaning he wasn’t operating from a position of wealth or security.

Despite that, he chose to take a major financial risk, stepping away from his social media agency, his primary source of income at the time, and fully committing himself to building Palm City FC, betting everything on the project rather than the certainty of stability.

“I had to put my social media agency on hold which was a big risk because that agency was essentially what I was living off of,” said the 27-year-old.

“But I believed so much in the vision that I pushed everything else to the side and put all my focus into the club. I just believed in what it could become, and that was the moment I fully committed.”

Having already generated over half a billion views by documenting his journey into pro football, Var developed the understanding that he can build success from his social media presence.

That experience became the foundation for what he calls the “Magnet Effect”, a concept built around documenting the process and allowing opportunity to follow.

“I call it the Magnet Effect, when you document the process you attract the right people and opportunities,” explained Var.

Rather than building quietly behind the scenes, every stage of the club’s creation was shared, from early planning to recruitment and matchdays, turning it into a global digital project before it was fully established on the pitch.

On the pitch, the results have been immediate. With a carefully assembled coaching staff and a squad blending experienced professionals with young, hungry talent, the club secured back-to-back promotions and lifted the UAE Second Division title in rapid time.

None of their on-field achievements would have been possible without building a sustainable environment off it. Var emphasised the importance of shaping the mindset of his staff and players, fully embedding the underdog mentality into the club’s identity.

“The key is performance and culture, we got a pro license, we got into the league, and instead of stagnating we kept moving,” said the club owner.

“The identity of this club is ‘Building a club in 365 days.’ We thrive on being the underdogs it just makes us work harder and that energy has transferred from me to the staff and the players.”

A defining moment in the club’s journey came through an unexpected meeting with Sheikh Ahmed of the UAE Royal Family at Al Maktoum Stadium during the UAE Super Cup.

What began as a chance encounter quickly developed into a partnership that has accelerated the club’s growth.

“This is a crazy story, I met Sheikh Ahmed at Al Maktoum Stadium during the UAE Super Cup,” explained var.

“He had been following my journey and believed in what I was building, we built a relationship from there and he eventually came on board as co-owner, his impact has been massive bringing prestige, opening doors and adding real leadership to the project.”

Palm City’s rise reached a new peak with last week’s FA Cup final victory over Hatta FC, a UAE Pro League side with decades of history.

Palm City entered as clear underdogs, yet produced a comeback performance that perfectly captured their identity.

“Winning the FA Cup against Hatta was one of those moments that you remember for the rest of your life,” said var.

“We were 1-0 down and people expected us to lose, but we kept believing until the final minute.”

“They have 45 years of history, we’ve had two, that’s really been the identity of Palm City throughout this tournament. We weren't the team with the most resources or the longest history, but we were the team that refused to be outworked.”

From a one-way ticket to Dubai to lifting silverware, Soheil Var’s journey has become about more than just building a football club. It is a showcase in how modern sports projects can be created in public, built at speed, and powered by a global audience.