Vision of a city unlike any other

Dubai Sports City: You know, listening to a gentleman by the grand name of U Balasubramaniam - but who, thankfully, goes by "Bala" to friends and business acquaintances - in the swish surroundings of the Four Seasons Hotel in Ballsbridge, it is not hard to find a smidgeon of sympathy for Bertie Ahern, who once upon a time entertained grandiose plans to build a sports stadium and campus in north Co Dublin.

While Bertie's sporting vision for the future was blocked by one political obstacle after another, so much so that his dream has been reduced to building the equivalent of a molehill rather than a mountain should it ever get under way, Balasubramaniam, the chief executive of Dubai Sports City in the United Arab Emirates, is tasked with the job of overseeing the development of a sporting concept unlike any other.

On what was desert, the Sports City will, according to Balasubramaniam, be a "city within a city, themed on sports".

The cost of the project, which has the support of Sheikh Muhammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, is expected to reach $2.5 billion. When the three partners - Abdul Rahim Al Zarooni, Abdul Rahman Bukhatir and Abdul Rahman Falaknaz - came up with the vision of Sports City, they were told by Sheikh Al Maktoum to "go ahead and do it", and Balasubramaniam was brought in to implement the vision.

In all, Sports City will encompass 50 million square feet and will feature a range of sporting life that will make the Gulf state the envy of all sports enthusiasts.

Included in the grand plan, that started in 2003 and which will see 60 per cent of it complete by the first quarter of 2008, are four large stadiums (including one dedicated to cricket and another that can house soccer and athletics), an Ernie Els-designed championship golf course, a Butch Harmon golf school, a Manchester United football academy, a David Lloyd tennis academy and an ICC global cricket academy.

"Sports City will be a living, vibrant city in itself (with 70,000 people living there)," Balasubramaniam, on a flying visit to Dublin, yesterday explained. "This was the concept they wanted, to have sports as a participation, sports as a viewership, sports as part of learning and sports as rehabilitation.

"The concept was unique and the vision of the ruler made it easier to go and get the best agreed partners, like Manchester United, like Butch Harmon, like Ernie Els, like the ICC, like David Lloyd."

Already, the ICC have moved their global headquarters to Sports City, after a century being based at Lord's, and Balasubramaniam believes it is only "a matter of time before international soccer and rugby" come to that part of the world.

"I genuinely believe sports has no barrier," he said. "Sport is there in each one of us. It is in our blood and it is the only one thing that is going to make this world truly globalised. It is across borders. It is across cultures. It is across languages. It is across ethnic feelings. Any sport that has a following between the Northern and the Southern Hemisphere, I do not see a better place for it to be located than Dubai because of its geographical position.

"There is nowhere like this," Balasubramaniam continued, "where, for 24 hours, seven days a week, 365 days, you are living sport in its entirety. I don't think any of this is feasible without vision and support of his highness."

With Dubai already firmly established as a prime stop on the ATP tennis tour and the European Tour in golf, Balasubramaniam is attempting to create new soccer tournaments and athletics meetings "to put Dubai on the calendar on an annualised basis. When you create these kind of events, be it for soccer, be it rugby, be it track and field, be it for cricket, (there comes a) time when everyone is aware of the facilities, the infrastructure and what can be possible. Then governing bodies can look at (hosting) major events."

Do you think Bertie is looking at all of this with a touch of envy?