Mathew Tait – Working On Attracting More Rugby & Global Events To Emirates Sevens Stadium In Dubai

In 2023 Mathew Tait stepped into the role of General Manager Emirates Dubai 7s & Stadia. We spoke with him at the Dubai World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2024 held in January about his position, transition to life “after rugby” and his vision for the impressive sporting complex he now manages in the Dubai desert.

Tait is an accomplished former professional and England rugby union player who retired with 38 XV caps earned between 2005–2010, including “that” Rugby World Cup final loss to South Africa in 2007. He also was part of the England 7s squad in 2006 winning silver at the Commonwealth Games and was the tournament’s top try scorer.

Escaping the pleasant Dubai sun, and taking a break from watching the Challenger tier of international sevens teams fighting to earn a spot on the HSBC SVNS Series, we met Mathew Tait inside the main Emirates Sevens Stadium which at the time was being transformed for a massive Ed Sheeran concert due days after the conclusion of the Challenger 7s rugby tournament.

General Manager Emirates Dubai 7s & Stadia – Mathew Tait

Tait only stepped into his role of General Manager Emirates Dubai 7s & Stadia a month before the Emirates Dubai Sevens took place in December 2022, thrown into the deep end as it were. He admits though, that the timing was a “good learning process” to pull the tournament off successfully. Prior to his family’s move to the UAE, he had been working at a Sports Advisory firm travelling for hours every day into and home from London.

Of the vast facilities he now manages, he told Rugby Asia 247 that they were completed in 2008 to host the Sevens Rugby World Cup.

“We have eight full-sized football rugby pitches, six cricket ovals and netball courts. It is something like seven and a half million square meters, of which half 2 million is currently developed and we aspire to do so much more. My team is incredibly lucky that we are the custodians of this place.  In my view, it’s the best multi-sport entertainment facility around and I am so proud to be running it.”

Dubai as a Global Sports & Events Destination – Mathew Tait

“Lots of people are charging for facilities to host multiple events in the Middle East. Generally, at the moment, it’s kind of buoyant across both Saudi and in Abu Dhabi and Dubai – we’ve also got involvement across all levels of community and high-performance sports has aspirations to host more of these types of events with more rugby” said Tait.

He hinted that WXV could be returning in 2024, with the Challenger event already hosted and the Dubai Sevens returning at the end of 2024 as part of the next HSBC SVNS Series.

“For us, it’s getting the facility to be an asset and to be used more often, and asking what else we can do across the various levels of the pyramid of sports. So from the top tiers down into the kind of the community level. We’re actually busy throughout with both sports and non-sports events. You’ve seen the Ed Sheeran stage going up on pitch one at the moment so there’s an aspiration to do lots more, both in the sporting and non-sporting  fields utilize what is a really incredible site.”

The finances in the region and the location of Dubai are logical reasons why both Asia Rugby and World Rugby have increasingly used Dubai to host international rugby events. The former also has its HQ in Dubai.

Mathew Tait added; “Geographically, it makes sense and of course, there is the weather. From a Sevens point of view, my team can help facilitate teams coming – from flights to accommodation to being here on the ground. And that extends out to spectators as well through our travel partner relationships. So it’s not a bad part of the world to come and visit as there’s lots to do in Dubai, probably more so than in other places. I think everyone enjoys coming in.”

Photo Credit: Emirates Dubai Rugby 7s

The Growth Of Sevens Rugby

Tait, as a former professional rugby player, has nothing but respect for the Sevens players of today.

“I think anyone that plays (or watches sevens), knows your fitness levels have got to be off the charts and that kind of goes underappreciated at times – how great some of the athletes are that participate in this sport.  I have been watching (the Challenger event) intermittently, amongst my other duties, and I was impressed with the teams.”

He noted the German and Chilean men and the Uganda and Kenya women as teams to watch out for, and all did very well in the first round in Dubai. 

“The atmosphere across the weekend has been good and we also have other fields being used by football academies and other tenant rugby clubs (such as the Dubai Hurricanes). So it is great to have them here and it gives them opportunities in the community to see high-performance players and gives them visibility of a kind of pathway of what you can do if you look around and work hard.”

Transition To Post-Rugby Playing Career – Mathew Tait

Tait admits he doesn’t play the sport any more, one of many retired professionals who is dealing with a body beat up by a demanding sport. And on the current Challenger and HSBC SVNS circuit, he still sees many familiar faces from his playing days.

“It is always good actually, in the role that I have both over this weekend and the Sevens as well, there’s always lots of the old crew to catch up with touch base with and keep in contact with.”

He added on retiring from playing rugby, “The transition out of professional sport, I found tough. I became quite institutionalised as a player and the corporate life is very, very, very different. As a professional athlete, I found it was a little bit like just an extension of school at times because you’re surrounded by the same people every day. You can probably get away with a little bit more than you can do in the corporate world.”

He is enjoying the challenge now and life in Dubai. “I’m incredibly fortunate to be in the role that I am now which combined my two passions, which are sports and business. To be honest, organising events is probably as close as I’m gonna get to replicating the buzz and the adrenaline and the nerves and anxiety and all that comes with playing rugby. So yeah, I am really happy to be here and long may it continue.”

Emirates Dubai 7s 2024 – HSBC SVNS

The dates for the Emirates Dubai Sevens 2024 – HSBC SVNS leg are still to be confirmed but it usually takes place in December and is the first leg of the season.

The Emirates Dubai 7s has been part of the HSBC World Series (and now the HSBC SVNS) since its inception in 1999 and was the first leg of the rebranded format in December 2023.

The 2023 edition of the festival of sports saw the inclusion of cricket, netball, CrossFit and padel. In total, 230 teams from 32 countries were involved in several social and invitational divisions of rugby too – the biggest invitational 7s rugby tournament in the world.

World Rugby Sevens General Manager Sam Pinder previously said: “With over 50 years of tradition, the Emirates Dubai 7s has built a strong reputation for spectacular entertainment, on and off the pitch, hosting the world’s best players and teams and creating a fantastic party atmosphere around the venue.”

Tait told us that the deck setup on Pitch 2 which features a bar and food area and seating for fans overlooking the field will now be a more permanent feature and not just used at the Sevens weekend.

Asian Rugby Tournament News 2024

• World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2024 – Dates And Venues Announced.
• Cross-Border Rugby 2024 – A New Chapter For Japan and New Zealand Rugby.
• Arab Rugby Sevens Championship 2024.
• Melrose Shield Competition – 2024 Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens.