The Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC) will build a pilot fan village near the Sealine Beach resort which will be able to house up to 2000 fans in Arabian tents during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, organisers said yesterday.
The concept will offer visiting fans an immersive cultural experience, and comes in addition to the hotel-based accommodation which Qatar is also delivering ahead of the tournament.
Set to offer accommodation of different types in 650 Arabian tents, the pilot project will be built on a site of 300,000 square metres in the South of Qatar – closest to Al Wakrah Stadium, which is currently under construction. The pilot project will include 350 temporary tents and 300 permanent tents which will together accommodate 2,000 people, offering visitors a flavour of what 2022 will be like for supporters.
The SC is currently studying five different locations for these types of fan villages during the tournament, which would have different themes such as heritage, culture and history of Qatar and the Middle East, sand dunes and sea. There will also be numerous entertainment offerings as well as large screens situated at the heart of the area. The final proposed locations of these sites have yet to be decided.
Announcing a tender to build the pilot fan village, Abdulaziz Ali al-Mawlawi, SC Technical Manager, said: “This type of accommodation is a great way to experience Qatar and the Middle East, giving fans the option of a tournament experience which will showcase the best of the culture, traditions and unique landmarks of our country. There will be options for all kinds of budgets, which will be in addition to the existing hotel-based fan accommodation which we are delivering based on our bid commitments.
“By offering visiting fans different types of accommodation across different sites, each with a wide range of entertainment options, we will allow visitors from outside the country to enjoy Qatar and their football experience in an entirely new way.”
He added: “The fan villages will allow visitors to enjoy the tournament experience in a unique setting from day one. Each fan village is also being developed with a pre- and post-tournament use to ensure that we are making sustainable developments, for the country to benefit from them in the long term.
“These ideas offer additional tourism options and facilities in addition to what Qatar currently has to offer its visitors. This approach forms part of the SC’s plans to leave behind an economic legacy after 2022.”
The fan village that will be built as a pilot project close to Sealine will have sand dunes and sea as the theme, allowing visitors to experience the desert from close quarters. Some of the tents that will be built in this area will remain there permanently, with the SC working closely with key stakeholders to optimise their use until 2022 and beyond.
The SC said that this type of fan village as an accommodation option is new to a sports event, and will include all types of services in each precinct, including entertainment areas, health centres and retail spaces.