Aqaba, Sept. 28 (Petra) -- The Ministry of Youth is implementing a comprehensive project to develop and rehabilitate Aqaba Youth City, with the aim of improving its sports and youth facilities and enhancing its capacity to host tournaments, training camps, and sporting activities.
The project is part of the ministry’s efforts to develop sports and youth infrastructure across the Kingdom and improve the ability of facilities to accommodate sports and youth events. It also seeks to make use of Aqaba’s location and climate, which provide suitable conditions for various sports during different seasons.
The project is being implemented in two phases at a total estimated cost of nearly JD4 million. It is intended to prepare Aqaba Youth City to host local and international tournaments and training camps, while strengthening its role as a sports destination alongside its tourism characteristics.
The first phase focuses on developing the city’s stadium, currently the only grass football pitch in the governorate, as well as rehabilitating its facilities and services. The second phase will include additional stands, services, and supporting facilities to improve the city’s readiness to accommodate teams, clubs, national squads, and sporting events.
During an inspection tour by Ministry of Youth Secretary-General Mazen Abu Baqar, attended by Aqaba Youth Directorate Director Ahmad Al-Hassan, Abu Baqar briefed Petra on the progress of the project and its various components.
Abu Baqar said the project is being implemented in two phases, with the first costing around JD2 million. Work on the first phase is about 50 percent complete and is expected to be completed in early 2027, after which the second phase, expected to take about one year, will begin.
He said the first phase includes reconstructing and rehabilitating the stands, maintaining the existing stands, and installing a metal canopy covering about 700 square metres over the first-class stands. It will also include facilities serving VIPs, journalists, and spectators.
The project also includes a services and facilities building covering about 2,065 square metres, dedicated entrances for the two teams and administrative staff, and parking for around 250 vehicles, along with the required open areas, pavements, and lighting works.
The first phase further includes maintenance of the facades of existing buildings, rehabilitation of players’ changing rooms, and maintenance, painting, protective, and roof-insulation works to improve the services provided to teams, athletes, and spectators.
Abu Baqar said the stadium development is being carried out in coordination with the Jordan Football Association, the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority, Aqaba Governorate, and the Aqaba Governorate Council, in accordance with the technical requirements approved by the Jordan Football Association and FIFA.
He said the project aims to gradually increase the stadium’s capacity to around 4,000 spectators once the development phases are completed, enabling it to host matches, tournaments, and major sporting events.
Regarding the second phase, Abu Baqar said it will include stands with a capacity of around 2,500 spectators, service buildings for teams, and four lighting towers for the regulation-size football pitch, in line with the technical requirements for hosting matches.
The phase will also include a water well to serve the city, a new entrance with access for team buses and a security room, rehabilitation of the existing entrance near the newly developed stands, and parking for buses and cars. It will also improve facilities for players, referees, administration, and filming, in addition to upgrading lighting and other services required for hosting matches.
As part of expanding the sports facilities, the ministry is also working on a new project adjacent to Aqaba Youth City. The project will include a five-a-side football pitch, two padel courts, two 3x3 basketball courts, a services building, and facilities for sports teams.
The project covers a total tender area of about 5,000 square metres, including a 1,000-square-metre five-a-side football pitch, two padel courts covering 500 square metres, two 3x3 basketball courts covering 400 square metres, and a 180-square-metre services building. It will also include parking, stands serving the sports facilities, and sanitary and service facilities for users, while taking into account the needs of persons with disabilities through suitable entrances, exits, and facilities.
The ministry has also floated a tender to study the construction of a multi-purpose sports hall with a capacity of around 2,000 spectators, providing an additional facility for various sports activities and events.
Abu Baqar said the development plan also includes rehabilitating Aqaba Youth Hostel, located within the city complex, so it can accommodate young people from different governorates and be used for training camps and sports teams. It will also support the ministry’s annual Al Hussein Youth Camps for Work and Construction.
He said the development of these facilities is intended to establish an integrated sports system bringing together sports fields, training facilities, services, and accommodation for athletes, young people, teams, and national squads.
The project also includes support from Royal initiatives, in addition to allocations from the Aqaba Governorate Council.
Abu Baqar stressed the importance of cooperation and coordination among the Ministry of Youth, the Jordan Football Association, the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority, Aqaba Governorate, and the governorate council in implementing the development works according to sporting needs and technical requirements.
He said the development aims to provide a sports environment capable of attracting teams, training camps, and tournaments from Jordan and abroad, making use of Aqaba’s location and climate, particularly during winter. This could contribute to tourism and economic activity, provide young people with wider opportunities to participate in sports, and strengthen the city’s role as a sports and youth destination.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Youth is continuing rehabilitation and maintenance work at youth centres across Aqaba Governorate and its villages to improve their readiness and enhance their ability to provide programmes and activities for young people.
//Petra//WH
