list of references but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations . please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations . february 2011 learn how and when to remove this template message gezira sporting club type club genre sports founded 1882 founder anglo egyptians headquarters zamalek cairo egypt key people mohamed z. moussa chairman website www.geziraclub.com the gezira sporting club arabic transliteration n d al azyrah al rey d is the largest multi sport facility in egypt . it was founded in 1882 and was originally called khedivial sporting club . 1 it is located on the island of zamalek in cairo . contents 1 history 2 golf 3 tennis 4 swimming 5 current sports 6 other branch 7 references 8 external links history edit the 150 acre 0.61 km2 grounds of the gezira sporting club were initially carved out of the khedivial botanical gardens and as a result acacias and gardens continue to decorate the area . after the land had been formally leased to the british military command in 1882 club rules were licensed and the land was divided into several recreational playing grounds . at first the club was for the exclusive use of the british army . membership was restricted to applicants elected by the committee on the recommendation of two members although british army officers were automatically enrolled . there were about 750 members . the entrance fee was e 2 . the various subscriptions were as follows life members e 50 . resident members married e 5 . resident members unmarried e 3.6 . country members those living outside a radius of 23 kilometers from the cairo post office in attaba square e 2 . guests could visit the club whenever accompanied by those members by purchasing day passes for 5 piastres . in 1906 the club members asked the egyptian government for ownership but their request was refused . instead they were granted a 60 year lease . the exclusive character of the club continued until after world war ii . in january 1952 the club was nationalized and became a public club . by this point most members of the gezira sporting club were egyptians but the club s members were from society s elite . as a result of nationalization the ethos and structure of the club were to be altered during the nasser regime . half of its eighteen hole golf course were given over to a youth club built by the egyptian government on the club premises making it a nine hole course . 2 much of what was deemed as a traditionally aristocratic asset was nationalized for the benefit of the poorer majority . these actions made the egyptian president at the time gamal abdel nasser loved and popular among the middle and lower classes of egypt . during anwar al sadat s presidency a new elevated highway the 6th october bridge was built over the remaining nine hole golf course and six furlong racecourse causing the size of the club to further erode . despite suffering vandalism the gezira sporting club still offers most of the sports and games practiced by its founders golf tennis squash croquet horse riding and cricket . what had started as a british military club evolved into one of egypt s greatest outdoor attractions . over the next five decades gezira sporting club remained both a landmark and one of cairo s greatest assets continuing to this day . as of 2012 membership was estimated to consist of 43 000 families . 1 golf edit about the course 3 18 holes played on 9 fairways par 70 5 860 yards 5 360 m rating 68 three tees . who can play annual members golf services pro shop caddies trolleys driving range club rental the 125 year old par 70 golf course was the first in egypt and was once its best . before the nasser era it was an 18 hole course used only by british nationals . tennis edit since 1907 gezira sporting club has been the official home of egypt s lawn tennis with open tournaments and championships regularly held on its clay courts . from 1925 international celebrities took part in these widely attended events . despite the launch of the egyptian lawn tennis association championship in 1934 gezira sporting club continued to offer its two cups the doherty awarded for the singles . the slazenger awarded for the doubles . swimming edit the gezira swimming team was founded in the early 20th century . now is one of the stronger swimming teams in the egyptian premier national championships . it is ranked 13th out of 33 clubs . current sports edit there are currently around forty sports played in gezira sporting club . some are athletics basketball boxing cycling football golf gymnastics handball hockey horse riding judo kung fu polo speedball squash swimming and diving table tennis taekwondo tennis volleyball water polo water ballet or synchronized swimming cricket aerobics ballet fencing see also gezira basketball club other branch edit like other large clubs in egypt the gezira sporting club is currently in the process of building another branch . the planned location is in the 6th of october city . the club had signed a contract for 50 acres 20 ha of land and construction has started . references edit a b helmy heba 3 march 2012 . four clubs four communities the gezira sporting club . egypt independent . retrieved 11 july 2014 . abu fadil magda august 8 2013 . is the gezira club still the in place in cairo . huffington post . retrieved 10 july 2014 . gezira sporting club worldgolf . external links edit retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title gezira sporting club & oldid 734419570 categories clubs and societies in egyptgezira islandsports clubs established in 1882organisations based in cairosport in cairosports venues in egypt1882 establishments in egypthidden categories use dmy dates from august 2013articles lacking in text citations from february 2011all articles lacking in text citationsarticles containing arabic language text navigation menu personal tools not logged intalkcontributionscreate accountlog in namespaces article talk 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