Living in Victory Heights

History

Victory Heights is the villa community of Dubai Sports City, built around The Els Club golf course. The National reported that it was launched in October 2007 as a joint venture between Dubai Sports City and the Bahraini bank Arcapita. The Ernie Els-designed course, 7,538 yards from the back tees, opened in 2008 (European Tour).

Villages were handed over in stages. Gulf News reported 685 of 784 first-phase villas handed over and more than 600 families living there at the time. In January 2014 The National reported that work had finished on 961 villas and townhouses, more than six years after launch. Prices had then recovered to about AED 1,000 per sq ft (Asteco, third quarter of 2013), still 38% below the 2008 peak.

Newer clusters have been added since. Sevilla Village, 96 four-bedroom townhouses by Dubai Sports City, started construction in April 2022 with completion due in December 2023, and Property Finder now lists it as ready and sold out. Property Finder’s records list 13 villages and clusters, including Esmeralda, Estella, Carmen, Novelia, Oliva, Calida, Morella, Marbella, Sevilla and Fortuna.

What it’s like to live here

Homes range from three-bedroom villas and townhouses in clusters such as Gallery Villas and Marbella to six-bedroom villas, and Bayut describes the architecture as Spanish-style. Recorded sales in October 2026 show four-bedroom homes of about 3,350 to 3,770 sq ft built-up and five-bedroom villas of about 3,840 to 5,830 sq ft (Property Finder). Carmen, a horseshoe of 102 five- and six-bedroom villas in the middle of the golf course, and Novelia sit at the top end. Esmeralda and Estella, the two largest villages, mix four-bedroom townhouses with bigger villas (Gulf News).

Property Finder lists shared pools, parks and playgrounds, walking and jogging tracks, basketball and tennis courts, barbecue areas and 24-hour gated security. Bayut puts Carrefour City and Al Maya supermarkets, both by the community centre, 11 to 12 minutes’ walk away. It is quiet and built around the golf course. Bayut notes that there are no apartments and that the community feels secluded from the rest of the city.

Who it suits

Families above all. Property Finder matches the area to families (85%) and retirees (40%). Indian renters are the largest group at 17%, followed by Egyptian (11%), British (8%) and Lebanese (7%). It suits people who want a large house and garden, golf on the doorstep and schools within a short drive, and who will drive most places.

For investors it is a family rental market with high entry prices. Property Finder puts the gross yield at about 4.4% (October 2026), and the average recorded sale over the past 12 months was about AED 10.4 million.

Getting around

There is no Metro station, and Property Finder notes that public transport is limited. Bayut puts Mall of the Emirates station about 14 minutes away by car. RTA bus route F38 was launched in May 2022 between Dubai Sports City and Jumeirah Golf Estates Metro Station, via Dubai Production City, every 20 minutes (Dubai Media Office). Check the current timetable on the RTA app. Bayut puts the nearest stop, Victory Heights East Gate 1, about 11 minutes’ walk away.

The community is reached from Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road (E311). Bayut puts Sheikh Zayed Road about 19 minutes away, Downtown Dubai about 23 minutes and Dubai International Airport about 27 minutes. Dubai Marina is about 9 km away in a straight line. In practice you need a car.

Schools, healthcare and shopping

Victory Heights Primary School, next to the Els Club, follows the UK curriculum and is rated Outstanding by KHDA, with fees of AED 40,000 to 55,000 a year (Property Finder, KHDA 2026 data). Within about 2 km are Dwight School (IB, rated Good, AED 65,000 to 111,000), Royal Grammar School Guildford (UK, Very good, AED 79,000 to 120,000), Renaissance School (American, Acceptable) and GEMS School of Research and Innovation (UK, not yet inspected, AED 116,000 to 161,000). Property Finder counts 15 schools within 5 km, with average fees of AED 70,868 a year.

Bayut lists Mediclinic Me’aisem clinic about 8 minutes away and Mediclinic Parkview Hospital about 12 minutes. Besides the supermarkets by the community centre, City Centre Me’aisem, with Carrefour and Magic Planet, is about 7 minutes’ drive and My City Centre Al Barsha about 11 minutes (Bayut). Circle Mall in Jumeirah Village Circle is about 3 km north in a straight line.

Things to check before you rent or buy

• Know the village. Prices vary widely: recorded sales in October 2026 ran from AED 4.7 million for a four-bedroom Oliva villa to AED 25 million for a six-bedroom Carmen villa (Property Finder).
• Compare like with like. Some listings quote price or rent per sq ft on the plot and others on the built-up area, so ask for both.
• Check the condition. The original homes were finished by 2014 and many are older, so look closely at air conditioning, plumbing, pools, roofs and any extensions.
• In Sevilla Village the developer’s payment plan put 50% of the price after handover (Property Finder). On a resale, check what is still owed to Dubai Sports City and that a no-objection certificate can be issued.
• Oliva sits next to Dubai International Cricket Stadium (Gulf News), so expect more traffic on match days.
• Ask for the latest service charge statement before you buy.
• Expect a slower sales market. Property Finder recorded 84 sales in the past 12 months, 21.5% fewer than the year before.