We look forward to seeing you all for the start of the new season beginning this weekend.
Please visit our schedule page for the full breakdown and add link if possible
Let’s go!
GHA Team
It’s official – The Galaxy Warriors have been accepted into the Emirates Hockey League for the 2023-2024 season❗️💜🫶🏒 Hundreds of hours of work have gone into this bid from our end, and we are extremely grateful to the UAE Winter Sports Federation for their support and stewardship during the process. The Galaxy family is strong, and with your support, we look forward to adding even more excitement to this wonderful professional league 🔥 We are extremely proud of this achievement, which also provides our Academy players with tangible goals to work towards, as our players will be eligible for selection for the Galaxy Warriors EHL team from age 16 and above. Please follow our main Instagram page @galaxy_hockey_academy and our new page @galaxy_warriors_team to track the progress of the team throughout the season
Let’s go!
GHA Team
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Osman is a British national whose passion for Ice Sports has existed since he was a teenager, having been an avid freestyle skater for more than 20 years. An Investment Banker by trade, he got to know the Lomakin brothers some years ago, and that is when the vision for the Galaxy Hockey Academy was formed.
With almost of 20 years of Banking and Finance experience, Osman’s main role is to oversee Galaxy’s strategy and vision, which is to make Galaxy Hockey Academy one of the finest Hockey Academies in the world, offering on ice and off ice coaching, all under one roof.
Osman holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce, a Master’s degree in finance and investment and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.
Our head coaches Vlad And Yuri Lomakin are also co-founders of the Galaxy Hockey Academy. Aside from being highly skilled players and coaches, the Lomakin brothers have built a valuable network in the hockey community that spans across the globe.
In addition to playing in multiple leagues across the world, they are also experienced sports agents, putting them in a unique position to develop and promote the Galaxy name, not only from the ground up, but also from the top down.
Furthermore, Vlad and Yuri have developed a strong relationship with many of the UAE players and families becoming familiar faces across all hockey events and related activities and they have very much become the image and the face of the Galaxy Hockey Academy.
The Galaxy Hockey Academy has a formed a long-term strategic partnership with the Al Matroushi Group, through the patronage of Mr. Abdullah Al Dah.
Mr. Al Dah is a successful business owner and a devoted sports enthusiast. He is a true visionary that has made an immense contribution to the development of sports in the UAE for the past two decades.
Some of Mr. Al Dah’s current roles include: CEO of the Al Matroushi Group; Chairman of the UAE Hockey Field Hockey Federation; Board Member and Head of the Investment and Market Committee of the Sharjah Sports Council; and Vice Chairman of the Arab Association for Sports Marketing and Investment.
The Al Matroushi Group has been the official sponsor of all the Galaxy Warrior tournaments to date.
We are truly honoured to have the support and backing of the Al Matroushi group, under the guidance and vision of Mr. Abdullah Al Dah.
Mr. Al Dah acts as the Chairman of the Advisory Board to Galaxy and advises on all matters relating to the growth and development of the Galaxy Hockey Academy.
Born and raised in the UAE, Yasser is a vital member of the Galaxy Hockey Academy Advisory Board. He benefits from a strong knowledge in local affairs, which is coupled with over 18 years of insightful experience across diverse sectors, directing and managing overall business operations with profit-centered aptitude. Yasser has a proven track record in identifying new business opportunities and sustaining extraordinary business growth.
Yasser is a familiar face in the hockey community in the UAE, having three sons who have played hockey for the last several years in the UAE; all three are now students/players in the Galaxy Hockey Academy and his eldest son Ammar, is now part of the UAE U18 national team. You may also find Yasser on the ice from time to time as he is an excellent freestyle skater with more than two decades of experience.
Yasser’s contribution cannot be overstated; he has been instrumental for the Galaxy Hockey Academy’s rapid growth in the formative days, and he also helped establish some of our earliest strategic partnerships that really cemented our position in the industry.
Chris is a Swedish national and an avid ice hockey fan. Having played in the UK university league, he remains a great supporter of the sport. Professionally, he has been the CEO of a DIFC firm specializing in Alternative Investments and Investment Advisory for the past 7 years and prior to this role, held senior positions within private banks in Dubai and Investment Banking in London.
Chris is fluent in Swedish, Danish and English and has strong connections in Europe, particularly within the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation. He advises Galaxy Ice Academy in all strategic business matters and new business initiatives both domestic and internationally.
Francois is a South African national who has an extensive sporting background, representing various clubs in England and South Africa in Rugby and Cricket. He holds a Rugby a coaching license and has more than 10 years of professional operations management experience in Investment Banking in London, UK.
Francois sits on the Advisory Board of the Galaxy Hockey Academy guiding the Academy in both operational matters and those in relation to sponsorships, due to his experience with domestic teams in his native South Africa, where he worked on securing sponsorship arrangements. Along with his lengthy professional experience, Francois brings an abundance of sporting experience and knowledge to the Advisory Board.
Alexei Yashin is an official mentor for The Galaxy Hockey Academy and the Galaxy Warriors team. Alexei frequently comes to visit our players and mentor them, in addition to providing advice to the Galaxy management team and coaches.
Alexei is a IIHF Hall of Fame inductee and an NHL superstar, spending 12 seasons in NHL for the Ottawa Senators and New York Islanders, serving as captain of both teams.
Alexei is a two-time member of Russia's Olympic team (1998 and 2002), a seven-time member of its World Championship team (1993, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2004 and 2005) - to say he is a legend of the game is an understatement.
Find details of Alexei's professional record here
Rashid Butti Al Qubaisi is a Veteran Emirati Endurance World Champion. He is a great inspiration and has visited our practices to talk with our players and has also joined us on our international tournaments.
Mr. Rashid Butti has an incredible list of sporting achievements and has made an enormous contribution to the UAE in this field, acting as an international representative in process.
He is a truly inspirational individual, and it is wonderful to see such successful figures give back to the community. Below are a list of Mr. Butti's positions and accolades-
1 - Representative of the United Arab Emirates and Abu Dhabi Police
2 - Member of the Board of Directors of the UAE Athletics Federation
3 - Coach of the Abu Dhabi Police team and a member of the sports committees
4 - The player of the UAE national athletics team and the former Al-Jazira Club
5 - The first Emirati player to be on the top of the local, Gulf and regional championships for composite races, endurance and marathons.
Mr. Butti generously provides his continued support to Galaxy and we are incredibly grateful.