When the unexpected strikes, it’s hard to predict how one will react. Some freeze, others make impulsive decisions, and a few choose optimism. Fewer still decide that it’s the perfect time to launch an ambitious wellness venture as a bid for community and connection.
But that is exactly what ran through Fadi El Khatib’s mind earlier this year, just weeks after the Iran war began on February 28.
“The belief in the city and the country,” says El Khatib when asked why he decided to open Club 15.
The former professional basketball player-turned-entrepreneur, whose career spanned more than 25 years as he played for clubs across Lebanon, as well as Syria, Ukraine and China, had the idea to create a “sports city within a city” in March this year. Just a month later, the ball started rolling on the project.
The doors to Club 15, a 15,000-square-metre sports and lifestyle destination in Dubai's Al Quoz area, opened for its soft launch on Monday.
For those seeking movement, they can look to the hub's seven professional padel courts, three full-sized basketball courts, a two-storey, 5,700 sqm gym, Reformer Pilates and studio spaces and a 25-metre semi-Olympic swimming pool. Recovery is added with ice baths and infrared sauna facilities. There is also a rooftop training space and an on-site physiotherapy clinic.
At the time of writing, membership models and prices were still being finalised. However, El Khatib says attainability is important to him in more ways than one. Namely, making sure the set-up he has created is convenient for families. His vision is for Club 15 to be the kind of destination where families can move seamlessly through the day together.
“I want to encourage parents to go and work out. Because I know the hassle of any parent is: where do I put my kid?” says El Khatib. Club 15 also includes social and workspaces, a gaming lounge, a podcast studio, kids' facilities, gymnastics and parkour, with youth academies also forming part of the project.
The idea itself was born within his family, as 15 was El Khatib's jersey number throughout his professional career. Today, the number has also taken on significance within his four children – sons Jihad, Hadi and Joud, and daughter Joury.
“My eldest boy is an NBA prospect carrying the national team with number 15,” he says. Jihad El Khatib plays as a forward for Club Centrale Al Markaziyyah (also known as Central Club) in the Lebanese Basketball League and represents the Lebanese national team.
“My other son is playing pro wearing number 15,” he says. “Joud, who plays with Champs, is wearing number 15. My daughter is also wearing number 15.”
When his family moved to the UAE earlier in the year, following unrest in Lebanon, they sat together discussing how much the number meant to each of them personally. “It's very emotional … so it's a continuation of the number, and it brought my family together.”
When The National visits on the soft launch opening day, it's still very much a work in progress. Although many of the workout spaces are functional – El Khatib joins us fresh from a competitive game of padel – the on-site Joe and the Juice cafe isn't ready to open yet, there is still some red tape around certain areas, and the softer furnishings are lacking.
Future additions will include a cycling and running track, he tells us, alongside installing red-light panels in the Pilates studio and equipment that would allow the yoga studio to host heated classes.
“My career was based on gym, swimming and hot power yoga,” he says. “Yoga with heat is a real workout. It gives more mobility and flexibility so you stretch more, which causes soreness the next day. It's one of the best things I've ever done.”
While padel is his latest love, his career – which earned him the nickname the "Lebanese Tiger" – was built on the basketball court before he moved into the business realm of fitness, founding Champs Sports Club and expanding the brand across the UAE.
Members can expect to see El Khatib in just about every corner of the site. He even jokes about building an apartment on the rooftop. Although he's happy to try everything, doing too much is where people go wrong.
“People are overdoing things,” he says. “Anyone not experienced enough in wellness gets messed up trying everything because of trends on Instagram or social media. Keep it simple, study your body, don't overdo things just to follow trends.”
In a world always searching for AI cheats and biohacking solutions, El Khatib says nothing can replace the “old school” method of hitting the gym, using the machines, and picking up the dumbbells. “You will never be able to replace this.”
They're lessons learnt from a long career in the fitness industry. But his biggest lesson has been the value of grit. “Basketball gave me the mental toughness and the will. You'll face hurdles, obstacles, challenges. Keep going, keep chasing your goals. Never stop.”
That perhaps explains why Club 15 was born in what has undoubtedly been a challenging year for businesses in Dubai. For El Khatib, it is his thank you to the city – and all he wants to hear from members walking out the door is a thank you in return.
“I don't call Dubai a hotel,” says El Khatib. “When things happen, you don't pack your things and move out. You keep on developing, sending messages to people all around the world.”
