They may have lost this year’s Grand Final but the Sydney Swans were treated like champions on a visit to Qatar.
The AFL club’s CEO and 12 players travelled overseas for a five-day pre-season tour and were shown around the country’s high-performance sporting facilities.
The team toured Doha’s dedicated sports city, Aspire Zone, which included a visit to Aspetar, a world-leading specialised orthopaedic and sports medicine hospital designed to optimise international athletes’ physique and medical needs.
The Swans also visited Aspire Academy, globally known for developing top sporting talents, where they engaged in rigorous pre-season testing.
There was still time to visit some of Doha’s main attractions, including the National Museum of Qatar, Katara Cultural Village and Souq Waqif, as well as an adrenaline-filled desert safari drive to Khor Al Adaid – the inland sea of Qatar.
One of the more relaxing highlights was visiting the renowned Doha Beach Club, a premier destination for coastal leisure and entertainment, and an ideal spot for the team to unwind and recharge during the visit.
“This trip to Doha has been eye-opening, as the facilities available are world class and greatly beneficial to our players,” said Tom Harley, Sydney Swans CEO.
“Bringing some of the clubs’ key staff to Doha in the off-season has been a great way to strengthen relationships and collaborate across the club before we start the 2025 season.”
The visit was organised by Qatar Airways, who have partnered with the club since 2016 and renewed the collaboration in 2023 for a further multi-year term.
“Australia is our number one market for stopover sales, and we were thrilled that we could show the club many of the reasons why,” said Mr Luke Drake, Senior Vice President of Sponsorship, Events & Exhibitions, Qatar Airways.
