Who We Are
At Yalla Sports, we help sports business owners go from being invisible online to being easy to find and trust — so they attract consistent enquiries from the right people.
Founded in 2015 • Supporting community sport across the UAE • 40,000+ readers per year
We do this through the Yalla Sports ecosystem, which brings together three connected parts:
- A local sports news platform
- A UAE-wide sports business directory
- Marketing and SEO services built specifically for sport
Yalla Sports is a UAE-based sports directory designed to help people find where to play — and to help sports businesses get found.
We connect players, parents, and newcomers with local sports clubs, coaches, and services across the Emirates. The directory makes it easier to discover, compare, and contact sports providers in one place, without relying on guesswork or word of mouth.
Alongside the directory, we support clubs and sports businesses with their online presence. That includes website design, search engine optimisation, and content support tailored to how people actually search for sport in the UAE. The aim is simple: better visibility, more relevant enquiries, and sustainable growth for community sport.
We also publish selected news and stories that add context to the local sports scene, highlighting the people behind it — the clubs, coaches, volunteers, and organisers who keep community sport moving.
Our Values
Our content has been featured in:
The Man Behind Yalla Sports And His Passion For Growing Sports In The UAE
Yalla Sports was founded by Alex Johnson in 2015 as a side project called Yalla Rugby.
It began as a simple resource for newcomers to the Middle East — a way to find local rugby clubs in one place online. As the audience grew, it became clear there was a wider need: reliable information, visibility for clubs, and better ways for people to connect with sport across the UAE.
Approaching its tenth year, and with an average readership of more than 25,000 unique users per season, Yalla Rugby has since expanded to cover multiple sports under the Yalla Sports name.
Today, Yalla Sports exists to support the people who make sport happen in the region — on the pitch, on the sidelines, and behind the scenes.
