Blink and you would miss it. The entrance to the Sobha Realty Training Centre is a cutaway in a high hedge running along a row of detached houses where the rolling English countryside meets the motorway network.
A trailblazing centre that was bought and opened in the era of Arsene Wegner’s 2003-2004 Invincibles team, the 147-acre site north of London is also a jewel in the global ambitions of the Sobha Realty property empire.
Naming rights were acquired in Feb 2024, allowing the real estate company to place the team as its prime marketing vehicle.
No one could act as a greater champion of the talking points of the training ground than facilities manager Sean O’Connor. No one except perhaps the former player Tony Adams, who was captain of the club when the 10 new all-weather pitches first opened around the turn of the century. In fact, the pair make a practised double act, with Mr O’Connor still referring to Mr Adams as captain.
Figures about the ground trip lightly from O’Connor such as the 17 miles of pipes under the pitches or the £1 million cost of replacing the hybrid grass, cork and fibre first team practice pitch.
A hanger-like gym facility with training and rehabilitation equipment, including a gravity-altered treadmill adapted from Nasa technology was the last big opening at the Hertfordshire site in 2018 when Unai Emery was the manager. O’Connor hints that another big redevelopment could be on the cards talking about accommodation facilities and partnerships, including specialist health care and rehabilitation ventures.
New levels of ambition for the facility are central to the potential that Juliet Slot, the chief commercial officer of the club and linchpin of the relationship with Sobha, sees as underwritten by the sponsorship template. “You get a sense of the care and attention that goes into every detail to create the best environment to fuel our teams’ performance,” she said. “Excellence is at the heart of our partnership. Bringing them on board as our naming rights partner for the training ground was something new for us, and their expertise is helping us to realise new opportunities for the space, and ensure we are always moving forward in creating world-class facilities for the future.”
The effort to create awareness in the UK of Sobha as a property developer focused on developments in the Middle East, or indeed in Texas and India, is not limited to the TV coverage of the club that came second in the league last season, qualifying for Europe’s Champions League football in 2025-26.
The company has also raised awareness with a place on the hallowed turf at Lord's during this week's ICC world test championship of cricket.
There is also a Sobha showroom on the most prized part of the Monopoly board in Park Lane, central London. The studio on Park Lane is a statement for the business, like the high-profile tie-up with Arsenal, designed for maximum impact. The location is obviously prestigious and a lure for inviting potential clients. It also is well located for people who walk in after recognising the brand or seeking it out online. For the marketing channels that Sobha maintains in the UK such as its real estate agents, the studio is also a place of hospitality. Displays of new developments dot the two floors of the building, which overlooks Hyde Park.
Sales staff are able to promote Dubai as attractive to the UK investor for a cavalcade of reasons. Property investors in the domestic market are beleaguered and complain of a lost decade. Property taxes are higher, prices are volatile and not now growing as fast as the previous decade. Rental yields do not clearly exceed the interest and tax levels to give super returns. The attractions of releasing UK property equity and recycling the funds into Dubai holdings have only grown since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic.
A new trend for the sales team is the wave of UK residents who have reacted negatively to recent increases in taxes and the stalled growth of the overall economy, seeking new careers and better lifestyle options in Dubai and the region. With moving to Dubai on the cards, many new clients are buying off-plan in London with an eye on moving into the development some time after they have set up their new jobs.
“We're witnessing a growing interest in the UK from investors, individuals, and families opting for Dubai as their new home, reflecting an expanding allure of Dubai as an ideal destination globally,” said Ashish Parakh, group chief sales and marketing officer. “We are dedicated to facilitating this transition by focusing on developing integrated communities that provide physical space, a sense of belonging, opportunity, and long-term value. We offer tailored services designed for international residents. We guide UK buyers through each stage of their journey to Dubai, enabling them to embark on this new chapter in their lives.”
The company likes to boast it has central locations, villa communities, penthouse apartments and mansions. Most popular is the four or five bedroom home, which is attractive to the demographic of UK residents in their 30s or 40s who boast globally transferable skills. There are lots of UK professionals working in IT, Finance, real estate and technology businesses that are moving over to the UAE, the Sobha staff said. Where once it was investors or those looking for a holiday home, now it is those moving over. The attractions outside the strictly business aspects are to create a new way of life, to have a lot more day-to-day safety. Many are taking their families on the move and so need that bit more space.
There is also a younger layer of buyer in their 20s or sub-30s with a niche set of buyers with YouTube and influencer profiles. At the Arsenal main stadium the Sobha presence is right next to the club's own media parlour.
It is awash with YouTube talent every week. Another meeting place of the shared interests between the north London club and the UAE-focused developer.
