Baseball United, the first-ever professional baseball league focused on the Middle East and Indian Subcontinent, announced on Friday the official names and branding of its Dubai and Abu Dhabi franchises.
The Dubai franchise will be called the Dubai Wolves, and the Abu Dhabi franchise will be called the Abu Dhabi Falcons.
These two teams are the first-ever professional baseball franchises in the history of the GCC region. They will compete against the Mumbai Cobras and the Karachi Monarchs in the league’s Dubai Showcase this November at Dubai International Stadium.
WELCOME DUBAI @dxbwolves https://t.co/pPSDJ790i6
— Baseball United (@BaseballUnited) August 3, 2023
The Dubai Wolves brand marks center on the iconic Dubai “D”, as well as a wolf visage that pays homage to the Arabian Wolf that once roamed the Liwa Desert in vast numbers. The Wolves name honors Dubai’s adaptation from vast, empty desert, to thriving, urban metropolis.
The Abu Dhabi brand marks include a stylized “AD” monogram, as well as the profile view of a peregrine falcon, the national bird of the UAE. The Falcons name speaks of the history and heritage of Abu Dhabi – the nation’s capital – and captures the city’s inspiring combinations: strength and beauty, vision and tradition, gravity and grace.
“This is a historic day for our organisation, for baseball, and for the UAE,” said Kash Shaikh, President, CEO, Chairman of the Board, and Majority Owner of Baseball United.
The two new franchises are announced on the heels of Baseball United’s historic partnership with the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), which awarded Baseball United a 15-year term to host its league in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as well as gave the league rights to both the Dubai and Abu Dhabi franchises.
Baseball United partnered with a US-based creative agency, BSB International, on the brand development and design for each franchise. The Dubai colors will be red, white, and black. Abu Dhabi’s colors are white, gray, and teal.
