Moving is enough logistics on its own without losing a season of hockey too. Galaxy Hockey Academy places players by skill level, holds a spot before you land, and gives every new family a free first session. Home ice at Sport Society Mall, Mirdif, about 15 minutes from Downtown, Dubai Creek Harbour and Sobha Hartland.
Send the age, level and current team on WhatsApp and we'll hold a spot in the right group before you've even unpacked.
Not "is there a rink", you already searched that. The real questions are about level, timing and whether your kid will feel like the new kid forever. Here's the honest answer to each.
Message us the age and level before you land, and your child steps onto the ice within days of arriving, not weeks after you finally sort the WiFi and the school run.
The first session is a real practice where coaches watch how your child skates and handles the puck, then place them with players at a similar level.
The season opens 1 September, and training runs year-round beyond that. Land in October, February or June and a group and a first free session are waiting.
Relocating is enough logistics on its own: schools, visas, a new apartment, a shipping container somewhere on the water. Hockey doesn't have to be one more thing you sort out after you land. Galaxy Hockey Academy is the Middle East's largest ice hockey academy, home ice at Sport Society Mall in Mirdif, and it's built for exactly this situation: a kid who already knows how to skate, already has a stick in a bag somewhere, and needs a rink in a new city.
Skates and a stick are worth packing if your child already has their own and they still fit, that's the easy part. Everything else, helmet, shoulder and elbow pads, gloves, is available to rent here while the shipment is still in transit or you're still finding your feet in a new apartment. Nobody needs a full kit to start training. Come with whatever fits in a suitcase and rent the rest for the first few weeks.
This is the question every parent actually has, even when they phrase it as something else. A kid who was one of the strongest skaters on their old team doesn't want to feel behind on the first day, and a kid who was still learning the basics doesn't want to be thrown in with players three levels ahead. Send the age and a few honest lines about current level and team on WhatsApp before you land, and we place them for the first session on that basis. That session runs as a normal practice: coaches watch, then move a player up or down a group within the first week or two if the fit isn't quite right.
The academy season runs from 1 September, with groups organized by age, kids from 4 through 18, and adult classes running alongside for parents who want to try the sport themselves or keep playing it. Land before September and the first trial session is free, so a child can start training right as the new season opens with everyone else, not weeks behind the group. Move mid-year and, once 1 September has passed, a try-out costs 150 AED an hour, capped at two sessions, enough to test a group or two before committing to anything.
More than 300 children from 38 nations train here, and a large share of them arrived in Dubai the same way your family is arriving: a parent's new job, a mid-career move, a fresh start somewhere warmer. Nobody on this ice is the only new kid. Professional coaches run every group, and Galaxy is in official partnership with the UAE Winter Sports Federation, the same federation bringing the IIHF 2027 Division II Group A World Championship to Al Ain. It's a serious program in a country most people don't expect to find one in.
Home ice is Sport Society Mall in Mirdif, about 15 minutes from Downtown, Dubai Creek Harbour and Sobha Hartland, three of the areas relocating families land in most often. A second home, Galaxy Arena in Oud Metha, is set to open in September 2026, though the exact date isn't locked in yet. It will be the UAE's first dual-ice facility, which means more ice time and more group options as the academy grows.
Hockey isn't the only door in. If your child can skate but has never played, or you'd rather ease them in with lessons before a team, Galaxy also runs learn-to-skate classes, figure skating, curling and a dedicated girls' hockey program, plus goalie-specific training for a kid who already plays that position. Coaches also run school visits, so if a new school arranges an ice trip, there's a fair chance it runs through here.
Rental or owned gear protects every player head to toe, and contact only begins at age 12 to 14, so younger groups train skating, puck skills and teamwork without the collisions people picture when they hear the word hockey. Coaches run a controlled session every time.
The fastest way to hold your child's spot is one WhatsApp message: age, current level, and roughly when you land. We'll tell you which group fits and get the first free session on the calendar before the last box is even unpacked.
Skates and a stick if they already fit, everything else is covered here while your shipment catches up.
Worth packing in a suitcase if your child already has skates, otherwise a full rental set is on hand.
Helmet, pads, gloves and stick are all available to rent while your shipment is still in transit.
Skate sharpening and gear on the ground floor of Sport Society once your own kit arrives.
Full-size 60×30 m sheet, ice in the desert, at Sport Society Mall in Mirdif, Dubai.
300+ children, 38 nations, one family. Most families here relocated too, so your kid isn't walking into a closed group, they're walking into a rink built for exactly this.
Start this before you land, and your first week in Dubai already has hockey in it.
Send the age, current level and team on WhatsApp, whether you're still packing or already here.
We match the age group and skill level and confirm a time for the first session, no waiting list.
A normal practice. Coaches watch and adjust the group if needed within the first week or two.
The season runs from 1 September, groups by age, adult classes too, and a community that already knows what moving feels like.
Fill this in, it goes straight to us on WhatsApp, and we'll tell you which group fits.
Free first session · placed by level · Sport Society Mall, Mirdif, Dubai.
In official cooperation with the UAE Winter Sports Federation · IIHF member association