Community first at Emporia

HOW A CRICKET ACADEMY IS UNITING A WHOLE COMMUNITY THROUGH SPORT

- BY ROBERT ILSLEY

While many academies focus solely on performance, Emporia Sports Academy has built its reputation on a community-first approach that is helping athletes of all ages discover their potential.

Based in DAMAC Hills 2, the academy offers cricket coaching and athlete development programmes for children and adults, helping everyone from complete beginners to senior players improve their skills, build confidence and, above all, enjoy the game.

As part of Gulf News’ ‘Dubai's Local Game’ series, Emporia Sports Academy Co-Founder, Faisal Irfan Siddiqui, outlines the vision behind the project.

Good opportunity

“As a resident in DAMAC Hills 2, I felt like cricket was missing in the community,” explained Siddiqui. “We wanted to bring young people that live here professional training, we are registered in the Emirates Cricket Board, so we are giving kids a good opportunity to potentially progress and play at a higher level as well.”