Readers speak: Build more parks and playgrounds in residential areas.

Gulf News

Dubai residents feel that there is a need for more recreational facilities in the city.

Transcript

00:00We have been playing for another like nine years now.

00:10We played, first we were like, we're not this big before, so we used to play in a smaller

00:14place.

00:15But when we grew up, it's too small for us to play there.

00:17So now we play over here.

00:19And it's been, you know, it's very nice playing, being with them, it's been a very long time

00:22I've been playing with them and, you know, I just bond around them.

00:25I've been living in this area, Baniyas, for all my childhood.

00:28And we play football whenever we get time.

00:32We try to find places wherever we find in this area.

00:35I love to play football.

00:36I've been playing since the age of 14.

00:38And I play football quite regularly, but mostly on the streets, mostly in areas that are not

00:43meant for football pitches.

00:45We are exactly behind Twin Towers.

00:47There's a street, before there used to be a couple of restaurants, there used to be

00:50an open theater here, but fortunately for us, they demolished the open theater.

00:54And now it's just an empty pavement where we all can play football.

00:57It's usually bricks.

00:58So it's really tough for us to play because if we fall, we get hurt quite badly.

01:02There's no real football pitches.

01:03And since there's no goalpost, we usually use dustbins, bricks, and say, paint cartons.

01:09We have to come here because there are not many places to play around.

01:13And all the parks there, it's not allowed almost.

01:16And the people coming into the parks, they don't like us playing football over there.

01:19So if you go to Suffolk Park, it's like one and a half hour because 45 minutes traveling

01:22and then 15 minutes a walk.

01:24And you know, to enter the park where we play, it's very far.

01:27And Zabir Park is 30 minutes from here.

01:29So it's not reasonable for us to travel all the way there.

01:32This area is the closest for us.

01:34At the same time, it's a bit discreet.

01:36Not many people pass from here.

01:37So it allows, at the same time, there's not much of patrolling, there are not many people

01:40who come here.

01:41It's really hard to find the places to play football, usually, in my particular area.

01:46Because people in the neighborhood, they have problems of people playing nearby and disturbing

01:50them.

01:51And there have been instances where people have thrown bags full of water from above.

01:57So we clear out of this area.

01:59And we have certainly told them not to do that because that is really hazardous.

02:04We play like twice a week.

02:05So you know, they might be disturbed.

02:08We are aware of that.

02:09There's one lady complaining as well.

02:10We are really sorry, but you know, we can't stop playing.

02:12We need to play.

02:13We are children.

02:14We need to play.

02:15There's a road behind us.

02:16So the ball might burst every time the ball goes there because car passes through by there.

02:21There's no lights over here as well.

02:23Only the lights we get by the shop over here.

02:26Once it closes, we don't have any lights over here.

02:28We still play.

02:29We manage somehow to play.

02:30So we would like to have a proper facility to play football around in the area as we

02:34are experiencing problems due to the neighborhood.

02:36Authorities, please stop closing all the parks and making buildings there.

02:40We need some space to play.

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