Sponsor a Dubai Exile
The Dubai Exiles have been making it possible for people to enjoy and play rugby in Dubai since 1966. It started when a small group of British expatriates decided to resurrect some long lost talents and well-worn boots to start playing rugby in the UAE, they named their ‘club’ The Dubai Exiles.
In 1969 the ‘Exiles’ founded the Benson & Hedges Dubai 7s Rugby Tournament, which has since become one of the largest sporting events in the Middle East, and a major part of the World Rugby calendar. This year will be the 50th Anniversary of the competition which continues today as the HSBC World 7s Series attracting teams of all abilities, from amateur to leading international sides, from around the globe.
Today, the Exiles compete in the premier competitions and leagues of the Middle East; UAE Premiership, UAE Division 1, West Asia Premiership, UAE Women’s 7s Series and the Gulf Men’s league of the Emirates Dubai Sevens.
Left to right: Shane Weweje, Dave Gairn, and Tarek ‘Taz’ Mursal
Rugby for Everyone
The 2022-23 season saw the Exiles produce 33 players, boys, girls, men and women, who represented the UAE on the international rugby stage. Many of these players give up their valuable spare time to help encourage and coach the mini and youth sides at the club. The knowledge and experience that they pass on from competing at the highest level in the Middle East is invaluable.
The Dubai Exiles are also immensely proud to have been heavily involved in the promotion of rugby 7s at the highest level. In 1999 the Club, along with our patron HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, our then sponsor Emirates Airlines, and the Arabian Gulf Rugby Football Union (the AGRFU) were honoured to host the first ever games to be played in the I.R.B. World Sevens Series. A privilege which has been repeated annually to this day.
Exiles’ Ladies Nicole Brits who regularly helps with the Minis on a Saturday morning
Exiles’ captain, John Donnan, who’s with the Under 14s
Sponsor an Exile
Rugby in the UAE is amateur. Our senior players who give up their time to develop our mini and youth rugby also have to pay membership fees etc to play rugby in the UAE with the Dubai Exiles. We’d be grateful to anybody who’d like to sponsor our senior players, men’s rugby or women’s rugby, for the 2023-23 season.
Your generosity will also help support players of different nationalities and of limited financial means to access a home from home and play the sport they love. A sport that they can enjoy and progress in an environment where there is insurance, medical supervision and safe, technically accurate coaching.
There are two tiers of player sponsorship available for the 2023-24 season – Silver and Gold:
UAE captain Matt Mills
Exiles’ Under 9 coach Brad Owako
Silver Player Sponsorship Package
- Pays for the player’s annual membership fees
- A memorial plaque in the Dubai Exiles’ Clubhouse
- The balance to be distributed across the club to help facilitate rugby for girls and boys of all ages.
Silver: AED 5,000
Gold Player Sponsorship Package
- Pays for the player’s annual membership fees
- A memorial plaque in the Dubai Exiles’ Clubhouse
- A sponsored trophy that is awarded annually for Fair Play / Contribution towards Rugby in the appropriate age-group
- The balance to be distributed across the club to help facilitate rugby for girls and boys of all ages.
Gold: AED 7,000
Exiles Under 13 coach Jaen Botes – the UAE’s most capped player
UAE international Robyn Etherington
