Contractors are still negotiating with the client for the contract to build the 25,000-seat football stadium, a sports centre, a hotel, a commercial centre and residential buildings in Al-Ain.

Three groups submitted bids for the contract at the end of March. The bidders are Bam of the Netherlands, Canada’s Brookfield Multiplex, and South Africa’s Murray & Roberts Contractors (Middle East) with the local Al-Naboodah Contracting.

The project is located on a 500,000-square-metre site in Al-Ain at the intersection of Zayed al-Awwal street and Hamdan ibn Zayed al-Awwal street.

The 25,000-capacity stadium has been designed as a new landmark for Al-Ain and will be the new home of Al-Ain Football Club. The sports centre will have a health and fitness club for public use, three outdoor football pitches, a clinic, and a children’s play area.

The commercial part of the development will face the central plaza and the stadium and will provide 10,500 sq m of office space, 656 sq m of food and beverage outlets, 345 sq m of retail space and 1,712 sq m of parking.

The hotel will be a four-star property with between 180 and 200 rooms, and will have a variety of facilities, including a gym, spa, a swimming pool, food and beverage outlets, and high-end retail units.

The development manager for the scheme is a team of the local Sorouh Real Estate and Australia’s Bovis Lendlease. The cost consultant is the UK’s Davis Langdon, which is now part of US-based Aecom. The lead design consultant is UK-based Broadway Malyan.