Skip links
Palms Sports

The Largest Sports & Training Company in the world

0 +
Sports Programs
0 +
Trainees
0 +
Total Staff
0 +
Coaches

About Us

Palms Sports (ADX: PALMS) is an Abu Dhabi-based, leading sports management and training provider.Along with our subsidiaries, the organization is comprised of over 14,000 staff operating globally.  Together we offer the complete spectrum of sports related services to our partners – ranging from program design and sports marketing, through to record-breaking events and facilities management.

Originally established in 2011 as a Jiu-Jitsu training provider to government authorities, Palms Sports has since evolved in every sense and now sits firmly amongst the foremost sports companies in the MENA region.  Despite our newfound focus on diversification and investment, the heart of Palms Sports has, and always will be, the delivery of mass-scale, world-class sports programs to the many facets of society.

Our vision

Foster an informed, physically active community that possesses the knowledge and tools to establish and maintain a healthy lifestyle

Our Mission

Inspire communities to partake in a healthy lifestyle through a variety of quality recreational opportunities.

Actively Managed Investments

Palms Sports now actively manages an additional 10 companies, ranging from sports apparel and equipment distribution, to virtual reality gaming, through to a thriving network of private schools.

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

Quality Policy Statement

At Palms Sports, we are dedicated to delivering unparalleled excellence in our vast array of sports management services. Our commitment to quality is embedded in every aspect of our operations, from client interaction to event execution. We strive to exceed expectations, uphold and set industry standards, and continuously improve our processes to ensure optimal satisfaction for our clients and stakeholders.

Message From The Chairman

” Since 2011, Palms Sports has been at the helm of the sports ecosystem in the UAE. Guided by the initial vision of our leadership to establish Abu Dhabi’s reputation as the Jiu-Jitsu capital of the world, we laid robust plans and strategies whereby we managed to not only achieve these goals but surpass all expectations and cement our beloved Abu Dhabi’s stature as a global destination-of-choice for major sports events in all disciplines. And it is our privilege and honour in Palms Sports to be partners in this success.

Today, Palms Sports is synonymous with sports in the United Arab Emirates. Our extensive presence on the sports scene is felt across all major training programs from school physical education, and physical preparedness programs in the National Service Authority to various other forms of sports training in the military and security sectors. “

Abdulmunam Al Hashemi

Chairman of Palms Sports

Message From CEO & Managing Director ​

We celebrated a banner year in 2023 and I am thrilled to share the considerable progress we have made in our diversification and expansion plans. As we worked towards expanding the service offerings of Palms Sports, we completed several strategic acquisitions delivering on our financial targets with record organic growth and continue to pursue investment opportunities.

In pursuit of the inevitable, we aim to become the undisputed leader in our industry and hence will continue to stride forward with a disciplined acquisition strategy and explore new verticals and new markets.
The benchmark transaction in 2023 is marked by the acquisition of Securiguard Middle East, which added 11,000 professionals to our already-expansive presence across the 7 emirates. This acquisition is projected to induce considerable positive impact on Palms’ financials in terms of revenue and gross and net profits.

Read More

Fouad Darwish

CEO & Managing Director

Board of Directors

Chairman

Abdulmunam Al Hashemi

Explore
Vice Chairman

Riyadh Faraj Al Kindi

Explore
Board Member

Khalifa Yousif Khouri

Explore
CEO & MD

Fouad Fahmi Darwish

Explore
Board Member

Saje
Thomas

Explore

WHAT WE STAND FOR

EXCELLENCE

We provide highly effective and tailor-made training programs that inspire our communities to achieve their greatest potential.

Health and Lifestyle

We enhance physical, mental, and emotional well-being by emphasizing the need for physical fitness and commitment to sound and healthy lifestyles.

Leadership

Our programs develop leadership skills and encourage initiative, responsibility, and patriotism.

DISCIPLINE

We provide tools to develop self-discipline and self-control across all facets of life; commitment and respect are integral to our programs.

DETERMINATION

We develop programs with our partners that embrace and reward commitment and success.

SPORTSMANSHIP

Our programs draw on the important values that can be derived in sports such as fair and generous behavior in the treatment of others, especially in a sporting contest.

Moreover, Palms concluded another significant acquisition of Pyxis Events, which reinforces our vertical expansion plans, adding further capabilities and dimensions to our globally impactful MMA series, UAE Warriors. Meanwhile, we remain actively pursuing additional acquisitions with a particular focus on the Education sector.
To keep our commitments to our strategic partners, we also recognize that talent recruitment and retention are essential to our success. Our workforce has grown at an impressive rate—we began 2023 with a little over 1,500 people and by the end of the year, we grew 14-fold to exceed a 14,000-strong capable team working under the Palms Sports banner. In the last few years, we have been working towards building a sense of belonging while championing our culture and guiding principles in our endless pursuit of creating an optimal employee experience, we remain committed on professional development, internal promotions, and succession planning to ensure leadership continuity.
In tandem with our ultimate goal of becoming the undisputed leader in our industry, we are committed to elevating our partners’ experience to a new level by fully embracing our role as a trusted partner. To ensure we are our partners’ primary choice, we will remain focused on improving the positive return of our operations to which our partners have grown accustomed; where not only their targets and needs are met but also our experts continue to implement tweaks, improvements and developments to the scope at hand.
Looking back on Palms Sports’ growth and expansion since 2015 when I first joined, I take pride in our collective achievements, as we reinforced the solid foundation of our diversified and resilient platform. Today, Palms Sports is well positioned to meet the challenges forthcoming and we are very optimistic about what is to come.

Abdulmuneim Alsayed Mohamed Alsayed Al Hashemi

Chairman of the Board

Abdulmuneim Al Hashemi has been and continues to be the President of the UAE Jiu Jitsu Federation since its inception; an athlete, himself, H.E. is regarded as a sporting authority and figure in the UAE sporting domain.  More so, H.E. is also the vice president of the International Jiu Jitsu Federation, and Chairman of the Asian Jiu Jitsu Union in addition to several other governmental appointments.

Riyadh Faraj Ahmed Al Kindi

Board Member

Mr. Riyadh Al Kindi is a seasoned investor and financial executive with more than   20 years of experience in the fields of investment management and marketing. Mr. Al Kindi began his career in the very distinguished  private offices of His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan back in 1996 and until year 2004. Mr. Al Kindi became associated with the Royal Group from the onset and is a founding partner of PAL Computers, PAL Technology Services LLC amongst many other board directorships and chairmanships.

Khalifa Yousif Khouri

Board Member

Mr. Khalifa Khouri is certainly an influential investor and entrepreneur in the UAE and elsewhere; he is a director in several public and private joint stock companies in the UAE and is a trusted representative for private family wealth management offices. More so, Khalifa over the years has been involved in the founding of several companies in the UAE and certainly enjoys a wealth of experience in the fields of investments, media, trading, services, manufacturing, real estate, building materials, oil & gas and others. He has had an active leadership role in mergers & acquisitions, bond issuance and taking companies public.

Fouad Fahmi Darwish

Board Member

Fouad Darwish is the CEO & Managing Director of Palms Sports PJSC – a publicly traded company on ADX – while concurrently holding various leadership positions and directorships in government, semi-government and private entities including the board directorship on Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce, membership on Abu Dhabi Chamber’s Steering, Education & Communication Committees, as well as board membership in UAE Mixed Martial Arts Federation and chairs a number of companies under Palms Sports.

Saje Thomas

Board Member

Mr. Saje is also the managing director Royal Group. He has contributed significantly to the growth of the group over the past eighteen years and has succeeded in expanding its activities in real estate industry, investments, services and, entertainment amongst many others. Mr. Saje holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from Mahatma Gandhi University, India and is notably a Certified Public Accountant from Colorado USA member in addition to being a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in India and is a certified cost and management accountant in India.