Ahead of its November opening, TTN gets exclusive access to the new JA Sports & Shooting Club
When Stuart Gibb walks me into one of the pristine, newly completed team bases at the all-new JA Sports & Shooting Club, my first thought isn’t of mud, studs, or sweaty half-time locker rooms. It looks and feels decidedly five-star.
We survey tacticians' suites, ice plunge baths, in-house physio zones, and private managers' offices that open directly out onto bowling-green-smooth grass. I immediately find myself comparing this to the last sports facility I was shown around.
“Real Madrid, but nicer?” I ask him with a laugh.
“A bit more luxury, yes,” smiles Gibb, General Manager of JA Sports & Shooting Club. “We didn’t go with club blues or reds - we kept it neutral, in sync with JA’s high-end hospitality standards. But this is designed so an international squad moves in and treats it as their home for six weeks.”
This purpose-built complex is a multi-million-dirham sporting hub that will open new opportunities for Dubai's sports tourism offerings.
Warm-weather play
It is a well-known fact that top-flight European football clubs spend their winter mid-season breaks in Southern Europe or Turkey. But shifting weather patterns have rain playing spoilsport on training itineraries.
“Over the last few years, teams have been struggling to find the right warm-weather training facility they can call home,” Gibb explains. “Clubs have ended up cancelling other legs and staying with us here in Dubai for the full six-week block.”
To scale that demand - particularly from Eastern European and CIS leagues that undergo a mandatory three-month winter shutdown - the property has laid down six FIFA standard international-sized natural grass football pitches, serviced by six individual, fully self-contained team bases.
Yet for all the bespoke amenities, Gibb is refreshingly grounded about what genuinely sways the world's most demanding sports directors.
“Our biggest reputation isn’t just the shiny facilities - it’s the quality of the grass,” he insists. “That pitch is their office.
If the turf isn't perfect, nothing else matters.” To protect the main playing surfaces, dedicated auxiliary training boxes and goalkeeper strips have been carved out beside each pitch so rigorous daily drills don’t tear up match-day turf.
The high-performance concept has already attracted elite residency with international teams using it as their training base.
Dubai’s cricket shortage
While cricket is woven into the sporting fabric of the Gulf, top-tier grass ovals in Dubai have been in short supply, primarily clustered around Dubai Sports City and The Sevens.
JA has stepped in to fill that void with two full-sized cricket ovals.
The second oval has been designed to double up as a multi-purpose outdoor arena.
“One day it’s hosting cricket or rugby, and the next day it can accommodate food trucks, pop-up activations, or an outdoor stage for large corporate festivals and concerts,” says Gibb.
The venue has already locked in major tournament commitments.
ILT20 franchise the Desert Vipers have renewed their multi-year training partnership here, while global youth showcases like the Mina Cup are confirmed on the 2027 calendar already.
Heritage shooting indoors
Shooting remains one of the UAE’s defining heritage disciplines, but outdoor clay and rifle ranges have long wrestled with summer temperatures and expanding residential communities nearby.
JA’s answer has been to build a first-of-its-kind facility that guarantees seamless 365-day operation.
The new pavilion features 25m, 50m, and 200m rifle ranges, alongside a purpose-built indoor trap and clay shooting range.
For corporate groups Gibb’s team has introduced a gamified simulator lounge. Drawing inspiration from high-energy entertainment venues, the lounge combines interactive screen target shooting with casual dining and drinks.
Meanwhile, the club's beloved heritage smokehouse, Smokin’ Gun, makes an expanded comeback, complete with an on-site butchery counter where patrons can select bespoke cuts of meat to dine on or take home.
True trade playground
For DMCs, inbound tour operators, and MICE planners, JA Sports & Shooting Club opens up packaging opportunities that nobody else can offer in the Middle East.
Beyond the pitches and ranges, the venue’s dedicated event infrastructure centres on a vast, pillarless indoor multi-purpose hall capable of hosting 600 seated guests or up to 1,000 standing, primed for automotive showcases, luxury product launches, indoor sporting fixtures, and gala dinners.
Corporate groups and business travellers are catered to across four private conference rooms and executive viewing suites configured for team-building workshops, private tournaments, and board-level retreats.
With the opening of Palm Jebel Ali on the horizon and major infrastructure projects shifting Dubai’s centre of business steadily southwards, JA’s expansive compound is transforming into a self-sustaining destination district.
“Our vision is a complete day-out destination,” Gibb concludes. “You can have a corporate meeting in the morning, shoot at the ranges in the afternoon, watch your colleagues play padel or football, and unwind by the beach or at Smokin’ Gun by evening without ever leaving the property.
“It changes the conversation around what a sports facility in this region can be.”
JA Sports & Shooting Club is scheduled to welcome guests and trade bookings from November.
* For more information, visit www.jaresortshotels.com/sports