Jim Fitzsimons has settled in Taupō after 12 years as general manager of the Dubai Sevens Stadium. Photo / David Beck
Jim Fitzsimons has settled in Taupō after 12 years as general manager of the Dubai Sevens Stadium. Photo / David Beck
In Jim Fitzsimons, the Taupō Bowling Club has picked up a man who knows a thing or two about sports administration.
Last year, Jim returned to New Zealand after 12 years as general manager of the Dubai Sevens Stadium, home of the annual Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens tournament.
Thestadium has eight sports pitches capable of hosting a range of sports, from rugby and football to Aussie rules and Gaelic football.
As well as playing host to teams on the HSBC Sevens World Series circuit, in his time as general manager Jim oversaw football matches between clubs such as Real Madrid, AC Milan and Arsenal, and international concerts featuring Justin Bieber, One Direction, Rod Stewart and Kylie Minogue.
"It was the highlight of my working life," he says.
"I was so tied up in rugby for 20 to 30 years in New Zealand, to finish up with that was just great. We had the best sevens players in the world coming to play every year."
Originally from New Plymouth, Jim played rugby before getting into coaching.
"I was involved in rugby here in New Zealand for a long, long time before I went to Dubai. I started coaching in the lower grades, from the under-19s up."
He moved to Napier where he soon was coaching again. He was assistant coach of the Hawke's Bay team for two years.
"When the professional rugby era began, I started to manage individual players, I was managing 14 or 15 players around New Zealand. I was also a selector for the New Zealand Sevens team with Gordon Tietjens."
The Dubai Sevens Stadium during the 2019 Emirates Airline Dubai Sevens, the first leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series. Photo / Getty Images
His efforts did not go unnoticed and when Emirates decided to build a world-class stadium in Dubai, Jim was asked to oversee its construction before staying on as general manager.
"It's a very impressive stadium. Sevens was growing quickly and Emirates was very strong. From 2008 until 2019 I was the tournament director for the Dubai Sevens as well.
"I did a bit of coaching while I was over there but it was more administration and running the tournament that were the big jobs."
The Dubai Sevens, established in 1970, is the longest-running sports event in the Middle East.
"A highlight was the last tournament we ran before Covid hit, in 2019. That was the 50th anniversary of the Dubai Sevens," Jim says.
"That was huge. We had a big concert on the Saturday night with Kylie Minogue. It wasn't just a sports stadium, it was everything else as well."
He says the game of sevens has changed a lot since 2008 when he started in Dubai.
"The game has opened up a lot and became quite technical. It wasn't just a spectacle for the public, the players became very professional.
"The biggest improvement I saw was in the women's game, it has really blossomed in the last 10 years and it's getting better and better.
"The tournament we had before sevens was announced as an Olympic sport [in 2009], we had the whole Olympic committee there. They told us the thing that swayed them was how inclusive it was.
Former All Blacks selector Wayne Smith (left), broadcaster Keith Quinn, Dubai Sevens Stadium general manager Jim Fitzsimons and tournament official Graeme McNally. Photo / Supplied
"The Dubai Sevens is unlike most other tournaments in the series because as well as the World Series teams, we have 300 invitational teams, from all over the world, playing in a tournament at the same time."
Jim moved back to New Zealand last year as he was ready to retire, his last tournament being December 2019.
"I have family living here, my children, so we chose to come to Taupō. I'm loving it, it's really good.
"I've joined the Taupō Bowling Club, which I enjoy, and I'm doing administration there wherever I can help.
"Throughout my whole career, what I'm probably most proud of is when I first went to Dubai and they were starting the construction of the stadium - it was just sand dunes.
"To be involved in the building of the stadium to the international stadium that it is, then to carry on managing it, seeing it grow and the international teams that play there and train there, the continued pleasure it gave to the people in Dubai - that's what I'm most proud of."
