DNA
DUBAI: For the first time, Gaelic football has been added to the extensive lineup of sports at this year’s Emirates Dubai 7s, a decision which “made sense,” according to Festival Director Mathew Tait.
The Middle East’s hugely popular three-day festival returns to The Sevens Stadium from Nov. 27 to 29, marking the start of rugby’s HSBC SVNS 2027 season, ahead of tournaments in Cape Town, Singapore, Perth, Vancouver and New York.
Those events are followed by the HSBC SVNS World Championship 2027 during April and May in Hong Kong, Valladolid and Bordeaux.
In addition to the HSBC SVNS, the Emirates Dubai 7s provides a platform for athletes of varied abilities to compete in rugby, netball, cricket, padel and fitness competitions, with Gaelic football now bolstering what was already a huge sports offering.
Tait told DNA News recently: “It’s been something we’ve been considering, and as part of our review every year, we assess whether there’s opportunities with other sports.
“We don’t just introduce them for introducing’s sake. It needs to be impactful to the event in terms of what people can view and spectate, but also in terms of that particular community and what they bring to the overall event.
“Gaelic football is something we’ve been considering for a little while. There’s an established Irish community here and it just made sense this year.”
The sport itself undoubtedly makes for fantastic viewing from a spectator perspective: fast-paced, physical and action-packed.
Delivered in collaboration with the Middle East GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association), and in keeping with the sevens format, traditional 15-a-side Gaelic football will adopt a new structure for the festival, with seven players per side and matches played across two seven-minute halves.
“It will be good fun,” Tait said in response to a question on what fans can expect.
“It’s a very skillful game. I think it’s an opportunity for people that potentially aren’t familiar with the sport to observe and ultimately take part should it be of interest to them.
“We have the Kerry Middle East GAA guys based down at The Sevens Stadium now too, which is great for us to do as part of a broader engagement with the community.”
As an event, Emirates Dubai 7s continues to grow, evolving from a rugby tournament into a fully-fledged music and entertainment festival, attracting over 85,000 attendees from the UAE and across the globe.
While Tait has not ruled out further additions over the coming years, he insists the main focus is on ensuring those attending and competing want to keep coming back.
“Never say never,” he said in response to a question on possible further additions.
“The task I always set the sports operational team is that we need to make sure we’re the world’s best at delivering the sports that we do have, rather than just doing half-baked jobs and introducing sports for the sake of it.
“So, in terms of additional introductions in the short term, probably not, because I think we just need to make sure that we’re nailing the experience for those core sports that we have already.
“Padel will go from strength to strength, netball is full this year, cricket’s full and rugby at a local level is going to be very busy again.
“We want to be the best in the world at giving competitors an experience they won’t forget. We want them to go home and tell people about it, so we have more teams coming back. Recommendations are the best form of praise.”
And for those wishing to take part in the Gaelic football tournaments, which include both elite and open categories for both men and women, registration is simple.
“Head to select the drop-down for sports, click on Gaelic football. There you will see the option to register yourself for the tournament and join us for what will be another fantastic event,” said Tait.
