Summer in Abu Dhabi can be a tad depressing for sports fans, as it seems almost all the usual leagues and tournaments shut down until the weather cools again. But we’ve dug out some sports halls and facilities where you can still enjoy a game or two in air-conditioned comfort.
Football
Straight out of the future, The Dome@Rawdhat is the first purpose-built football facility for the UAE, and features a colossal inflatable dome enclosing an indoor, fully air-conditioned football pitch. Laid with a modern synthetic grass system (known as a 3G pitch) the surface is low impact, soft and realistic. Primarily designed for football matches, you can also hire all or part of the pitch for other sports, including American football, cricket and netball.
Evening rates: Dhs700 for a full pitch and Dhs300 for five-a-side. The Dome@Rawdhat Behind Airport Road (02 449 8480)
Swimming
There are just a few covered pools in the UAE, and your best bet for a serious session of laps is the Olympic-sized (50m) pool at Armed Forces Officers Club. They keep the water nice and cool, and offer swimming lessons for just Dhs90 an hour. Book a set of lessons or just drop in casually for a water-based workout. Don’t forget there are ladies-only timings on Sundays and Wednesdays too.
Open daily 7am-10.30pm. Ladies-only timings are Sundays 10am-6pm, and Wednesdays 10am-8pm. Al Khaleej Al Arabi Road (02 4415 900)
Basketball
Fancy shooting some hoops? There are two mega halls at Raha International School in Khalifa City A that you can hire either for practice or a full-scale game. A sports company called Libra manages and operates these and the rest of RIS’s facilities, so you can book through them (details below) on an hourly basis. They’ll also arrange longer sessions for community groups or commercial organisations if necessary. Plenty of space and plenty of air-con – what more could you possibly ask for? If you’re interested in joining a team, contact Duplays, which organises basketball and other league sports throughout the summer, also based at Raha International School.
To hire the Raha International School courts, visit www.libra-uae.com. To sign up to a Duplays league, visit www.duplays.com
Ice skating
The newly refurbished ice rink at Zayed Sports City is (obviously) one of the coolest places in the city for sports over the summer. The rink quietens down until September, so if you visit now you’ll practically have the place to yourself – perfect if you’re still a little unsteady on your feet and want to save yourself the embarrassment of having an audience watch you crash to the ground. No need for advance booking, unless you want to hire the rink for your own private group, otherwise you can just show up, rent some skates and start whizzing round on the ice. Thursday is ladies-only day.
Ice Rink at Zayed Sports City. Opening times vary, for a full list of times and prices see www.zsc.ae or call 02 403 4200
Table tennis
Ping-pong isn’t usually considered a particularly strenuous sport, but once you’ve been hopping, lurching and reaching for an hour or so, you’ll realise it’s a pretty invigorating workout. Hire a table at Zayed Sports City for just Dhs15 per person for an hour and enjoy this classic indoor sport, but make sure to book well in advance, as the tables fill up quickly – particularly at weekends.
Dhs15. Opening times vary, see www.zsc.ae or call 02 403 4200
