ATDD launches Ajman Virtual Half Marathon from today

As football in the UAE plans its return following months of closure due to coronavirus, Dubai Sports Council (DSC) has brought in experts from Laliga to share their experience of the situation with football clubs and company officials in Dubai and the UAE.

Organised in collaboration with Laliga, the “Football Clubs Strategy for Recovery Post COVID-19” webinar will take place on Wednesday on video conferencing app Zoom.

The webinar will feature Ali Omar, Director of the Sports Development Department of Dubai Sports Council, and Maite Ventura, Laliga’s Managing Director for the Middle East and North Africa, as keynote speakers alongside three officials from Spanish clubs - Franco Segarra, the Head of Data Analytics, Ticketing and Fan Experience at Laliga club Valencia CF; Federico Gonzalez, advisor at Spanish Second Division club Real Oviedo; and Francesc Arnau, the former Barcelona and Malaga goalkeeper who is now Technical Director at Real Oviedo.

The list of panellist also includes top officials from the four Dubai football clubs – Dr Khalid Al Zahed, Executive Director of Shabab Al Ahli Dubai; Saeed Ali Al Amri, Executive Director of Al Nasr; Mohammed Ali Ammar, Chief Executive of Al Wasl; and Ali Al Bedwawi, Executive Director of Hata Club. Daniel Barriga, the Laliga Delegate for UAE, and media specialist Sami Al Emam will be the moderators.

“The last few months have been really challenging for everyone, across the world,” said Ali Omar. “It has been especially tough for the solutions that have worked for them. Spain, if we remember, was one of the worst-hit countries when COVID-19 peaked in Europe.

“We want to enrich our local football industry with their insights. We have deliberately invited an official from a top division club and two officials from a Division Two club so that we can have insights from two different perspectives, representing two very different grades of football.

“We have also chosen our Spanish guests carefully, so as to get the maximum benefits. One of them is from the ticketing department, another is a financial advisor and the third is a former top division football player and now a technical director. Together, they will provide us with insights from three different segments of the football industry.

“So we are really looking forward to their presentation and insights, and the discussions that will take follow. I am sure our local football clubs can benefit a great deal from this webinar.”

Meanwhile, City Football Schools in the UAE has devised a summer training programme that combines face-to-face coaching and online teaching – allowing players across the country to develop their skills during the next two months.

The carefully created programme ensures youngsters across the UAE will be able to improve their game throughout the summer via both online and practical tutorials.

The seven-week programme, which kicks off on July 5, will provide exciting and engaging ways for aspiring players to continue to learn and develop.

AJMAN: Ajman Tourism Development Department (ATDD) announced the launch of Ajman Half Marathon, which provides the opportunity to participate in 10 km or half marathon 21.1 km, and aims to attract 500 participants from all levels.

This initiative comes in line with ATDD efforts to promote community sports, encourage a healthy and active lifestyle, and provide virtual alternatives in light of the current circumstances.

Participants in the virtual marathon will run the chosen distance outdoor or indoor any time between July 1 to 31, record this through any well-known tracking application or devices such as Apple or Android watch or Garmin, or Strava app, capture (screenshot) the activity page and upload it along with the personal data on the link they will receive by email ater registration. Each participant will be contacted within two weeks to arrange the delivery of the medal.

HE Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry, ATDD Director General, said: “Ajman Tourism Development Department maintains ongoing efforts to support and develop sports activities that reinforce Ajman position as a leading sports destination and come in line with ATDD endeavour to boost sports and recreation activities in the Emirate and develop the tourism sector that will further support responsible and sustainable tourism development in line with Ajman 2021 vision.”

Earlier, in April, Dubai Sports Council, in collaboration with ASICS Middle East and 5:30 Run club, came up with an exciting new initiative, the ‘’Marathon at Home’’, which took place under the umbrella of DSC’S “Be Fit, Be Safe” and #stayhome campaigns, and was designed to keep members of UAE’S community in running shape inside their home.

The first such race of its kind in the world, “Marathon at Home” was a timed 42.195km race and was open to people of all ages and abilities.

Participants decided on the shape of their running course, but running on a treadmill or any other training equipment was not be accepted. Running in public areas was also not allowed - the participant was needed to physically run on the ground and inside their house.

The participants were also asked to make sure that they have a fully charged smartwatch or smartphone, with the Strava app installed and activated through which they stayed connected as the app detected their movement and assisted them in keeping track of their timing and distance travelled.

The top three finishers in the two categories – Men and Women – got a full running gear kit by ASICS, an entry ticket to the Moscow Marathon, which takes place in Sept. 2020, and a finisher medal. The Top 10, meanwhile, received 10 EMS (Electrical Muscle Stimulation) functional training sessions from Vertexfitness.