ABU DHABI // Football fans will get the chance to see the English Premier League football trophy when it arrives in the capital next week at the start of a global tour.
An interactive village with four separate zones, or domes, will be set up on the capital's Corniche and in Dubai to take fans through the highs, lows and history of the League.
First, fans will go through the Changing Room, which will detail the game's history with interactive features of the current 20 teams who battle it out for points each week.
Visitors will then enter the Centre Circle, which will blast out the noise and atmosphere that is created every weekend in stadiums throughout England.
Fans can then get up close to the official Premier League Trophy - the grand prize of the world's most watched football league - in the Trophy Room.
In the final zone, Becoming The Third Lion, fans will be able to have a photograph taken of them that will simulate them lifting the coveted trophy, which was raised last year by Chelsea Football Club.
The Premier League is broadcast to more than 580 million households in more than 200 countries.
Abu Dhabi Sports Channel shows every Premier League match live and in High Definition across the Middle East and North African region. It is owned by Abu Dhabi Media Company, which also publishes The National.
Mohammed Najeeb, the director of Abu Dhabi Sports Channel, said he was delighted Abu Dhabi had been chosen as the first host city for the Barclays Premier League global tour.
"The UAE and indeed entire Gulf region is fanatical about football, especially English football," Mr Najeeb said.
The event was a way of giving something back to the Abu Dhabi Sports Channel viewers and fans of the premiership, he said.
A dedicated website, www.barclayspremierleaguetrophytour.com, has been set up for fans with more details on the domes.
The village is open to the public for free in Abu Dhabi from March 18 to 20 before the domes are opened at Jumeirah Beach Residence in Dubai from April 1 to 3. The tour then goes to Doha and Riyadh.
There will be a fan park next to both sites with the games broadcast live on giant screens.
The event is the first time the Premier League Trophy is being taken on a global tour.
After the Middle East, it will travel to Hong Kong for the Barclays Asia Trophy in July. It will then travel to Asia, North America and Africa during the 2011 to 2012 and 2012 to 2011 seasons.
