Grassroots And Grandstands
Nikki McLeary, Abu Dhabi
Goal Click are teaming up with SailGP to capture the spirit of the league through the eyes of its fans to showcase the emotion, energy, and personal journeys that surround SailGP events.
This series tells the stories of fans across North America, Europe, and the Middle East as they experience the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix, the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix | Portsmouth, and the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix.
Nikki McLeary is an Abu Dhabi–based Human Performance Scientist with a longstanding dedication to sailing, shaped by years of experience in high-performance sporting environments.
My name is Nikki McLeary, I’m 48 years old, originally from London, but now living in Abu Dhabi having been nominated for a Golden Visa as part of the Outstanding Academic Talent programme.
For the past 25 years, I’ve worked as a Human Performance Scientist, leading complex performance projects and logistics in high-stakes environments. This means different things to different people, week to week. I can jump from curating Government Leadership Forums, to lecturing student medical professionals in austere environments, to speaking at MOD conferences about land-force operational readiness in an era of climate change.
The UAE is an exciting place full of opportunities, and alongside my partner Mark, who is also here on a Golden Visa, we fully embrace life in this region. The people are incredibly friendly, kind, and genuinely hospitable. It is a beautiful culture and a beautiful place to call home.
Shared Rituals
My introduction to sailing came when I worked for a pioneering performance company in London Bridge whose clients included the French Vendée Globe sailors. I saw high performance at its absolute peak, the risk and the rewards, but even at the grassroots level, sailing trains a multitude of high-performing skill sets. Aquatic environments are one of the most challenging imaginable, given that the training platform is cold, wet, and constantly moving!
Despite my admiration for offshore racing, I prefer short-courses around the buoys - fast, aggressive, dynamic and fun. Jostling on the start line raises the heart rate of every sailor, particularly when sailing someone else’s yacht!
I discovered SailGP thanks to my parents, when they caught it on TV in the inaugural year. Since we always loved watching F1 together, this became a shared ritual. I found myself explaining the racing to them (although this was a bit like trying to explain the offside rule to someone who has never played football), but regardless, we enjoyed watching it together over a cup of tea and biscuits.
From Start To Finish
This year’s Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix 2025 Season Grand Final was a blast! Mark and I went for the first time, and the atmosphere was electric, especially for us Brits knowing what was on the line.
I support Emirates GBR… goes without saying! But in truth, I admire any athlete who can perform at that elite level, no matter the flag on their sail. That is part of what I love about SailGP: the blend of individual skill within a team structure, the constant balance between high risk and strategic precision, the technology, the speed, the national rivalries. It is all there.
The crowd was energised all day, with big smiles plastered on everyone’s faces. Obviously - it’s sailGP! While big screens captured every moment, the boats came super close to the crowd in the fly-bys, and with live sets from Olly Murs and Mark Wright, the energy was as good on shore as on the water.
Grassroots To Glory
What makes SailGP so compelling, compared to other sports, is how extreme yet accessible it feels. You can go out on the weekend, and race foils yourself, and actually understand the speed, the pressure, and the skill required.
With SailGP, you really have that grassroots connection, especially given initiatives like the Mubadala-sponsored SailGP Inspire programme, which proactively targets the development of crucial sailing-related skill sets in future superstars. I was invited to participate this year, and it was such a pleasure to have the opportunity to give something back.
Thousands of students from schools across Abu Dhabi were introduced to the sport of Wing Foil, in addition to STEM topics on-site at SailGP. The Emirate really facilitates youth development and leadership with a clear understanding that sport for all contributes to the greater good of all communities.
Whenever I describe SailGP to friends or family who have never watched, I tell them it’s the sport to choose if you want to get your heart racing as fast as the boats! It’s also a good way to learn about high-performance sailing itself, including wind direction, racing terminology, and strategy.
And who knows… maybe the next time they see a boat, it will be from the inside, with them at the helm.
