The trademark bright yellow uniforms of My Sports Academy are back on the courts, fields and in the pools of the UAE.
Managing director Mark Gaitskell said academy coaches were ‘keen to make up for lost time’ from a three months closure due to COVID-19.
While that period of silence may have seemed like an eternity, the academy has sprung back into life with My Sports Academy’s young athletes back training for netball, football, swim and triathlon.
“(We have) four individual clubs each of very high quality in their own right, but all with a truly athlete centred approach,” Gaitskell said.
As Dubai Sports Council gradually eased restrictions on academies, seperate safety protocols were laid out for different sports. In addition pools remained closed in the early days of academies reopening. As a result Gaitskell and his team have had to adapt to constantly updating regulations.
“It’s been an ever-changing process which in the end we moved away from over-planning for as the possible scenarios seemed endless. We just made sure we were ready to mobilise operations as soon as it was considered safe to do so and we had the necessary approvals.” he said.
Gaitskell said feelings were mixed as coaches, players and parents began training in a post-COVID environment.
“I think there were mixed emotions for everyone; excitement to get started, relief, a certain amount of trepidation for what the future holds and what it would be like operating in the ‘new normal’ but most of all just a sense of happiness to be able to get back to doing what we love to do and what we do best.”
- My Sports Academy have training programmes for all four clubs throughout the summer (swimming, football, netball and triathlon). For more information email: info@mysportsacademydubai.com