Get a taste for rugby this Friday with Dubai Exiles, as the city’s oldest club put on an open day decided to inspire new members to sign up.
The Exiles are long-established in the UAE, running a vibrant mini and youth section as well as boasting leading senior, seconds and veterans sides.
They are looking to swell their numbers beyond the 700 members already registered, with a morning of free one-and-a-half hour introductory training sessions to herald the season ahead.
The UAE Premiership outfit have got under-5s through to under-18s teams boys teams. Mixed rugby is played until under-12s, with girls under-15s and under-18s sides coming after that.
“As a rugby club we’ve been in Dubai for more than 40 years,” Exiles mini and youths chairman Toby Shore said. “We have grown from a relatively small club to one that boasts more than 700 members.
“We feel we have lost some of that ‘rugby club’ due to nothing more than sheer size because of the growth we’ve been through.
“For this event, we want to get that back by welcoming new families to join the club and for a chance for our sponsors to get out and come along. We want to provide a club feel across the board.
“The day is for the whole club, including our senior section.”
The day’s activities begin at 08:30 at the world-class 7he Sevens, with the youngest age groups being put through their paces by expert coaches. The training finishes at 12:00, by which time an expected 600 plus players will have taken part from all ages.
New members are being urged to attend and get a taste of the Exiles, while existing members can regroup for the first time since the end of the last campaign.
Shore also stated that for mini players of certain ages, it will provide a first exposure to new rules and experiences.
He said: “For a lot of the kids, they have either just got off the clubs from their school holidays so there is a lot of time to catch up with their mates. It is a time for the squads to come together for the first time since the end of last season.
"There will be a mixture of apprehension and excitement if you are moving from a step-change group, such as under-8s to under-9s where we introduce full tackle and under-12s when they begin playing on a full-sized pitch. There is always a lot of excitement and activity.
“For the under-5s and under-6s, it is about introducing them to rugby. There is a lot of energy about at 08:30 when you have 200 kids aged under nine running around on the paddock.”
The entire season runs from September to March, featuring two training sessions a week plus league games and tournaments.
If you are bitten by the rugby bug, annual membership fees range from Dh1,400 to 1,950.
“The Exiles are the largest club in Dubai,” Shore said. “We put a lot of time, effort and money into providing great facilities to train kids.
“We put our coaches and medical staff through courses. We are trying to bring a family environment back into the club.
“We are rolling out a whole raft of initiatives in the next 18 months that are aimed at putting things back into the membership.”
What: Dubai Exiles open day
Where: 7he Sevens, Dubai-Al Ain Road
When: September 5, 08:00-12:00
Contact: Send your mail to [email protected] or visit www.dubaiexiles.com
