West Ham United were welcomed to Dubai by some very special hosts this week.
CEO Iskandar Najjar and 20 members of staff from principal sponsor Alpari's Middle East office, who are based in Dubai, were on hand to welcome the Hammers to their warm-weather training camp at Dubai Sports City.
Mr Najjar and his colleagues were joined by 30 members of the Dubai Hammers Supporters' Club, with the group watching training before meeting manager Sam Allardyce and the first-team squad.
The players happily signed autographs and posed for individual and group photographs before Mr Najjar presented a special Alpari trophy to the Dubai Hammers in recognition of their support for the Club.
West Ham are visiting Dubai for the third straight spring as part of Big Sam's preparations for the final three months of the Barclays Premier League season.
In the previous two years, the Hammers have benefitted from their trip to the Middle East, securing promotion in 2011/12 and finishing tenth in the top-flight last term.
Dubai Hammers and Alpari welcome West Ham United
Alpari, a leading global FX broker, has been the principal sponsor of West Ham since 2013.
Alpari first established a relationship with the Club in July 2011 when Alpari UK became an official sponsor. The West Stand has since been known as the Alpari Stand and Alpari's name features across the stadium and the club's literature.
In February 2013, Alpari extended its commitment to West Ham by signing a three-year, multimillion-pound deal to become the principal sponsor from the start of the 2013/14 season. 'Alpari FX Trading' now features on the team's kit and apparel.