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Cricket, football and netball on Sharks’ menu

Dubai Sharks RFC will get their teeth into different disciplines against Navy opposition later this month as the club formerly known as the Arabian Potbellies shape up for the new season ahead.

Having lost their first warm-up game by six points to a XV from the British Royal Navy Frigate HMS Kent in late July, the Sharks now face HMS Dragon on Friday, August 30 at their ‘Rugby Park’ ground in Dubai Sports City. They won’t just be looking to sink the Dragon boat in the oval-ball sport though as cricket, football and netball will also be on the agenda.

Al Futtaim Carillion have agreed to provide players for the Sharks’ cricket and football sides to ensure there are sufficient numbers to cover all sports, whereas the netball team will be made up of UAE players. All of the encounters will be played at Dubai Sports City. How the Sharks fare in the rugby outing will naturally take precedence as the club gears up for the cooler months and competitive match action to come, with chairman Mike Quinn targeting outright promotion from the UAERF Conference this term.

“The Dubai Sharks have made some monumental changes since our formation as the Arabian Potbellies in 2007,” he explained.

“We now have a young and invigorated group of people who collectively are changing how the Dubai Sharks are viewed – both from within the club and most certainly from our competing teams. Our goal this season to have a first team that’s competing for promotion.” Confidence in the camp then is high ahead of the big kick-off and it’s clear that some improvements behind the scenes and off the pitch have bolstered that belief.

“We have had a clear drive for change over the last couple of seasons and – this season – we have had a complete change of committee,” Quinn added.

“As the new season approaches, we have made some significant steps in preparing the foundations so that we can achieve our goal.

“We have signed a three-year agreement with Dubai Sports City (DSC) and the Rugby Park at DSC will be our new, permanent home. We have installed a five-man coaching team, led by head coach Kevin Drew, and we are also about to sign a new agreement with a world-renowned kit provider.”

For further information about Dubai Sharks RFC, whose tag line incidentally is ‘Serious Rugby, Seriously Social…’, visit their official website at: www.dubaisharks.com or their Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/dubaisharks.