United Arab Emirates

Aussie Rules has been played in the United Arab Emirates since 2006, with the creation of a club in Dubai known as the Dubai Dingoes. The club is mainly composed of expatriate Australians as well as Irish players from the local gaelic football club. The Dingoes organised the first Dubai 9s in early 2007, also featuring teams from Abu Dhabi, Oman and Qatar.

A second club called the Dubai Heat was established in 2007.

A team mainly drawn from the Dubai Heat, but also with some players from the Dubai Dingos, represented the UAE at the 2007 Asian Australian Football Championships.

In February 2008, the first AFL match in the UAE was held at the Ghantoot Polo and Racing Club in Abu Dhabi between the Adelaide Crows and the Collingwood Magpies. It was one of few official NAB Cup matches played outside of Australia and the game attracted a sell-out crowd of 6,102 using a makeshift field and grandstand and was televised free-to-air in Australia. The curtain raiser for the AFL match was played between the Dubai Dingos and Dubai Heat.

The Abu Dhabi Falcons and Dubai Dragons were formed in 2008 as the UAE's third and fourth clubs.

 

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