The Club

The Club

Content….

Introduction page 2

History page 3

Interview page 4-5

Map page 6-7

Picture of the trip page 8-16

Conclusion page 17

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Introduction:

Last Sunday, we went out to visit with Mr. Hedley Butterfield to the club and we met with the administrator Mr. Mike who was a gentleman and respectful. Initially he welcomed us and then we did a short interview with him .He accepted all the questions with an open mind and explained to us all the details about the club and then we went on a tour around the club; specifically in the reception center he explained to us some pictures that tell the history of the club and then we took some photos with him, and he gave as a gift a wonderful book that tells the history of the club from the sixties until today. I promise you when I finish processing photos taken there I will lay it down here. I do not want to forget Hedley’s wife Mary; she played a big role in our visit to the club and gave us full information; we really thank her for her information. At the end, I would like to tell you it was a fun trip and interesting and I hope to visit that place again in the near future.

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History:

We asked Mr. Mike about how the club was established in 1962 and how they got the idea to construct the club. He replied that someone spoke to His Highness, and His Highness said okay we can sort it out, and a building which was 500 meters far from the main port gate, by that time the original building was known to expatriates as “Henderson’s Folly”. He said “okay, take this building and turn it to the club”, and that how we started in 1962. In 1966, Sheikh Zayed saw the club and one year later in 1967 Sheikh Zayed said to the expatriates if you went to leave this building we have a new place for you and he give them the previous land, and they officially started in 1967. At that time they had 152 members but today they have approximately 4,500 .The members are from 84 countries, 26 of them are formal ambassador, while 5% of the members are Emirati local.

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Interview:

Moreover we asked the manager about the membership and how much was the cost to be a member in the club and he said the membership is for all nationalities, however it’s by invitation, and he explained detailing that who wants to join the club, they have to apply first, then their application will be reviewed then can be accepted or denied, as it depends on the demand while keeping in mind their resources. Furthermore we asked the manager about the financial system of the club and the manager replied that the land was gifted by the late His Highness Sheikh Zayed and they are grateful for that, and since then, the development and the construction was run by the profits of the memberships. Another question was if there is an opportunity of opening a shooting place in the club and he answered we must have the requirements for that and considering the space for it; also he said that it will be hard to require the equipment like guns for instance, while in his opinion they will face some health and safety issues, denying any financial obstacles for this facility as their policy is to provide the membership with a wide variety of services and facilities at an affordable price. We asked the manager about the future plans for the club and he said that their vision is to support the efforts of the government for their future plan of Abu Dhabi 2030, and their behavior is running in parallel to it, as they also

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contributed the Alnadi tower that presents the legacy of the club over the 50 years as they had over 30000 members; he also talked about the non-Emirati old members and said that many members said if the Club did not exist at that time 1960 they would be gone back to their countries, so the Club is offering many & various amounts of facilities which afterwards they can contribute to the development of Abu Dhabi as they have members from all the sectors and he believes that their job of providing pleasure and comfort so when they go back to their work in Sunday feeling refreshed and it continues over the year as their goal to support a larger slice of the society of Abu Dhabi. Afterward, Nasser asked him about the system of invitation to friends of the members. He answered that there are two ways , one if the invitation and you are not a member to use the facilities there is a guest fee; however if a member invited a friend there will be no charges whoever they were, but with just a call before for notice. Hamad asked him about the relation of calling the Club the British Club. He answered that it’s historical; however he denied immediately that it was never the British club and he reasoned by that the first elected chairman in 1971-1972 was not British.

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Map:

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This map shows all the sites in the club which was drawn 8 years ago by Mr. Hedley’s wife Mrs. Mary Butterfield; who described the areas in details. Many changes happened since the map was drawn and we will explain these changes.

The Vista offers wonderful sea views, the place is great and consistent and attractive and the food service was fine. There is an international menu and there are Omani shrimps and everything you may like. The place is considered one of the best places for the family for many reasons the most important is calm and staying away from places nagging (opening hours: Sun-Sat 12pm to 1am)

The club’s breadth of sports and fitness facilities are among the most extensive in Abu Dhabi. The purpose built health complex includes a fully equipped gym, fitness studio and offers members personal training, programmer management and full fitness assessments. The sports complex features four flood-lit tennis courts, two squash courts and badminton court. Additionally, the club offers members swimming, sailing, scuba diving, volleyball and basketball facilities.

A. There was a water front cabin, currently there is Vista.

B. There was ramp for boats, currently there is the deck.

C. Tennis courts and club section.

D. Fitness.

E. Sports Complex

F. Family friendly club.

G. Family Room.

H. Private room.

I. Main entrance (reception).

J. Sailing Club.

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Pictures of the trip:

Tour In The Sports Bar

Tour In The Sports Bar

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Tour In The Sports Bar

Tour In The Sports Bar

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Outside The Sports Bar, a look to the key map.

Heading toward meeting the general manager

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Mr. Headley introducing students to the general manager outside Al Sarab Lounge

Mr. Headley, talking about meeting plan, outside ALSARAB LOUNGE

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Heading toward THE DECK for the meeting.

Discussion about the meeting with the Mr. Mike before starting.

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All seated in before the meeting starts, on THE DECK.

During The Meeting (1) , Hamad asking questions to Mr. Mike.

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During the Meeting (2), Mr. Mike answering a question

During the Meeting (3), Mr. Mike answering a question

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50 years painting about the UAE, On the reception area.

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Hamad receiving a book about the club covering 50 years history of the Club (1).

Hamad receiving a book about the club covering 50 years history of the Club (2).

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Conclusion:In conclusion, we found that the Club was worth visiting and it is very impressive. We would like to mention that Mr. Mike helped us a lot in the interview and answered all of the questions in a proper way. Most of us want to have a membership in the Club after hearing about it in the next few years. We also learned many other things such as the history, rules and facilities. We wish the best for the club and hope it continues developing.

A photograph represents the classmates with their teacher at the Club.

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