Premises loss puts question mark over cricket in Dubai
Premises loss means Dubai Cricket will grind to a halt from Monday
Dubai Cricket, a popular expatriate sport in the UAE, will grind to a halt in Dubai from today.
The Dubai Cricket Council (DCC), which stages nearly 500 matches every year at its headquarters in the Al Jadaf area, will have to vacate the premises tonight. This is in response to the eviction notice given by the Dubai Muncipality last year.
The facility has two fully-grassed grounds, developed with an investment of Dh 800,000, and five sand grounds. Over 2,500 cricketers regularly play the game here.
All tournaments hosted by the DCC will now come to an end. The next season, which is scheduled to start in September, is also in serious doubt, as no other cricket grounds are available.
The popular school tournaments will also come to an end robbing the youngsters of recreational facilities.
Hayat Yar Khan, secretary of the DCC, told Gulf News yesterday: "We have written to the Ruler's Office to allot us some land to build six grounds. All land for sport activities has to be allotted and we are hoping to get a reply soon.
Malcolm Speed, the Chief Executive of the Dubai-based International Cricket Council (ICC), the sport's world governing body, expressed his concern over the situation.
Statistics
- Cricket has been played at the Dubai Cricket Council (DCC) for 16 years.
- The International Cricket Council and Asian Cricket Council has staged international matches at the venue.
- Every season, over 65 clubs play in over the 500 matches at the DCC.
- There are more than 2,500 active cricket players in Dubai.
- 32 schools take part in inter-schools tournaments each year.
- Nearly 25 teams participate in DCC's corporate tournaments.
