Sport Aberdeen celebrates outstanding national accolade as its Get active @ Northfield venue is announced as Facility of the Year.

The award was presented at a prestigious ceremony hosted by the Scottish Leisure Network Group in Falkirk earlier this month. The venue picked up the top award, sponsored by Technogym, beating stiff competition from other facilities across Scotland.

More pleasing is that the award comes as the centre marks its first anniversary after its £4.8m refurbishment and extension, a partnership project between Sport Aberdeen, Aberdeen City Council and sportscotland.

Tony Dawson, Sport Aberdeen chairman, said: “We are delighted that Get active @ Northfield has been recognised in this way, especially as it has only been open for 12 months.

“It is a great boost for everyone connected with the project and I am very proud of what it has achieved in a short space of time.

“This has been made possible by our amazing staff and it is them that I am very grateful to for ensuring the venue had such a successful year!”

Above: Tony Dawson with the team at Get active @ Northfield

Alistair Robertson, Sport Aberdeen Managing Director, added “The judges recognised the milestone achievements which I have to say have been quite remarkable and the result of a terrific team effort.  

“These include:

• 29,500 gym admissions
• 2,900 fitness class admissions
• 67,000 swimming pool admissions
• 1,020 swimming lessons
• School swimming lessons for 628 pupils across 16 schools – 100% of schools reported that pupils had improved in self-confidence, physical development, mental wellbeing, and felt safer around water.

“This is the second Sport Aberdeen facility to receive a national award, following Get active @ Sheddocksley’s refurbishment in 2019.

“It highlights the value of our partnership with Aberdeen City Council and the benefits of being an arm’s length charitable trust. We will continue to improve facilities and invest back into the city to ensure people have quality places to get active.”

Local charity Sport Aberdeen is thrilled to achieve the Paths for All ‘Walk at Work’ Award, demonstrating its dedication to improving staff health and wellbeing, and encouraging workplace walking.

To accomplish the award, Sport Aberdeen submitted evidence of its actions across three key areas: walking culture, walking community and walking facilities.

Employees at the charity’s headquarters and those working across its citywide venues have been inspired to walk and move more during the working day through various initiatives including dedicated walking champions, participation in the Paths for All Step Count Challenges in spring and autumn each year, and organised social walks at weekends.

One of Sport Aberdeen’s walking champions and HR Business Partner Kerryn McRae completed the Workplace Walking Course through Paths for All earlier in May.

Through its Walk Aberdeen programme, the charity offers a range of free weekly health walks led and supported by trained health walk leaders. These take place across the city and have meeting points in Dyce, Bridge of Don, Sheddocksley, Kingswells, Altens, Rosemount, Cults and Ferryhill.  

By promoting walking as an easy way to get to and from work and meetings, Sport Aberdeen is reducing its carbon footprint and helping to reduce congestion and emissions in Aberdeen. The charity has encouraged active travel through other challenges including Love to Ride’s Bike Month and Love to Ride’s Cycle September Challenge.

Emma Murray, Communications Manager, said: “We were delighted to receive the Walk at Work Award from Paths for All, recognising our commitment to encouraging employees to walk more, keep active and reap the benefits of doing so.

“All contracted staff at Sport Aberdeen receive a free Fitness membership which is a great way to get active through swimming, going to the gym or attending fitness classes all across the city.

“We have made a real effort to promote workplace walking and there is always a buzz when the Step Count Challenges are on, plus a bit of healthy competition!

“Overall, it’s rewarding to have our efforts recognised.”  

Recent findings from UK workplaces reveal that half of all employees experience poor mental health at work, including stress, anxiety and depression. Regular walking can reduce the effects of poor mental health, particularly walking in greenspace.

Scotland’s walking charity Paths for All set up the award to help tackle poor health in the workplace and reverse the trend of inactive workplaces where staff sit for up to nine hours a day. The charity provided Sport Aberdeen with one-to-one support to set up activities to get their workforce walking.

Carl Greenwood, Senior Development Officer at Paths for All, said: “Congratulations to Sport Aberdeen for achieving our Walk at Work Award. It’s brilliant to see Scottish workplaces take the leadin creating a work-based walking culture and making improvements to staff health and wellbeing.”

“Research shows that employees who are physically active in and around the working day take fewer sick days, are more motivated and productive, and are more able to concentrate, so walking is not just good for us, it’s good for business.

“I would urge any Scottish workplace to follow Sport Aberdeen’s lead and use Paths for All’s support to take small steps to a healthier workforce.”

Taking part is free and open to any Scottish workplace that wants to promote an active workforce. Find out more here.

We hope you have enjoyed playing golf over the summer period on our courses and we would like to thank you for being a part of Golf Aberdeen during 2023.

Thanks to your ongoing support, we are able to reinvest back into our courses over the winter season, and we are pleased to let you know that our winter golf protocols and improvements programme will commence from Friday 1 December.

Working in partnership with turf specialists Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI) and our grounds maintenance contractor idverde UK, the planned improvements will provide course protection measures over the winter period and help enhance conditions on our courses for our customers and members teeing off into the 2024 season. 

Winter Golf Protocols

Please be aware that the following course protection measures will be implemented from Friday 1 December:

• Fairway mats will be compulsory on all courses. Please use these when teeing off with an iron, on the fairway and around the greenside. Mats are not required from the rough.
• Bunkers have been taken out of play and are now designated as ground under repair (GUR), please lift and drop from the bunkers at no penalty.
• Tee boxes will be moved, and tee mats will be introduced, particularly on par-three holes.
• Walking routes will be introduced to protect well-trodden areas and allow recovery. Please respect roped areas and walk around these as directed by on course signage.
• Temporary Greens will be used when ground frost conditions dictate.

Please note: during January and February 2024 an intensive programme of greens renovations works will take place, lasting 4-6 weeks (weather dependant) across all our golf courses. Temporary greens will be available during this time. 

MacKenzie Championship and Hazlehead Pines Golf Course protection measures

During the winter period from 1 January through to March 2024 we will close each course on alternate weeks from Monday to Friday with both courses being reopened for the weekend (again, this will be weather dependant). 

This will allow for extensive golf course maintenance to take place and allow the fairways and greens to recover over the winter period. This programme will help to ensure the courses are able to be presented in the best possible conditions for the 2024 season starting in April.

Additional Winter Improvement Works Programme

As well as the routine improvement works including traffic management and seeding worn areas in preparation for the new season, there will be an extensive programme of winter works carried out at each of our golf courses. Details of these are outlined below:

Hazlehead MacKenzie Golf Course

• Level fairway drainage lines on 15th fairway
• Gravel banding to primary drains on 16^th fairway
• Level and returf 12^th tee box 
• Bunker maintenance programme including sand top up
• Tree management programme

Hazlehead Pines Golf Course

• Lay drainage pipes and fill ditches on 11, 12 and 14^th fairways
• Install new fairway drainage measures at front right of 14^th green
• Bunker maintenance programme including sand top up
• Tree management programme
• Supply new tee markers to enhance course presentation

Hazlehead 9-Hole Golf Course

• Create open v-ditch to catch and channel water from 4^th and 5^th fairways
• Gravel banding measures to help with fairway drainage

Kings Links Golf Course

• Removal of 2,600m2 of Gorse along 6^th & 12^th fairways to improve course aesthetics and remove rabbit habitat
• Gorse removal on left of 17^th fairway and create naturalised bunker
• Bunker maintenance programme including sand top up
• Supply new tee markers to enhance course presentation

Balnagask Golf Course

• Level and returf 18^th tee box 
• Bunker maintenance programme including sand top up
• Supply new tee markers to enhance course presentation

We thank all of our golf members and pay and play users for their support and patience as we carry out these important works.

The role of a Young Ambassador is to motivate and inspire more young people to engage in sport and physical activity through various environments such as within schools, clubs and local communities.

Young Ambassadors help to promote extracurricular activities, connect with community sport opportunities, foster healthy competition, celebrate student achievements, offer leadership opportunities and enhance physical education in schools.

In doing so, they significantly contribute to creating a positive culture of sport and physical activity participation and development.

Cults Academy Latest

In September, Cults Academy Young Ambassadors (YAs) in S3 took a proactive approach to engage with local girls in their community, sparking an initiative that not only encouraged physical activity, but also empowered young females. The focus was to celebrate Scottish Women & Girls in Sport week by visiting the feeder primary schools to coordinate and deliver various activities.

Empowering Young Girls

At each primary school – Cults, Culter and Miltimber – the girls were invited to participate in a lunchtime girls-only session to get involved in dance workouts and dodgeball. The YAs were empowered to design the classes on their own, organising their own dance routine and making their own dodgeball ruleset.

Additionally, the YAs took the opportunity to have some short discussions with the pupils, highlighting the importance of sport and physical activity for girls and emphasising values such as fair play, leadership, and helping others.

Recognising Excellence

To create a sense of achievement at the sessions, the YAs encouraged the girls to nominate a dodgeball “Girl of the Day”. This helped them to think about fair play, team work and positive camaraderie. 

Impressive Participation

The initiative saw an impressive turnout, with over 100 P5 and P6 girls actively participating in the lunchtime sessions. The success of the programme was evident as one enthusiastic P6 participant exclaimed: “Can we do that again tomorrow?!”

Building on Success

Following on from the success of these activities, the YAs have put together an after school Active Girls Festival planned for later in the year. The goal of the festival will be to continue the fantastic work that the YAs have done so far, as well as reaching more pupils from other age groups.

John Dixon, Lead Active Schools Coordinator for Cults ASG and Orchard Brae, said: “It was great to see the girls-only lunchtime events prove so popular!”; “Katie and Lara, our Young Ambassadors at Cults Academy, did a great job organising and running the events and we’re looking forward to the upcoming Active Girls Festival to build on the success.”

Award-winning charity Sport Aberdeen is proud to be the first provider in Scotland to offer a unique aquatic rehabilitation service in partnership with social enterprise ‘Good Boost’, which has developed an NHS digital technology certified app called ‘Aqua Move’ – powered by artificial intelligence (AI) technology.  

The sessions were launched in April at two of the charity’s venues – Get active @ Northfield and Tullos Swimming Pool, and the sessions have proved to be incredibly popular with local residents.  

Good Boost sessions support participants with musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions such as arthritis, back pain, neurological conditions and people before and after hip and knee replacement surgery to participate in individually-tailored, water-based therapeutic exercises in friendly and supportive group classes.

Each participant is provided with a waterproof tablet-computer installed with Good Boost’s AI technology. The programme creates a tailored and personalised therapeutic aquatic exercise programme for each participant, displayed on the ‘Aqua Move’ app with instructional videos and details to support participants with mobility, balance and fitness.  

The Aqua Move app was designed by Good Boost’s musculoskeletal specialists, to ensure that exercises are suitable and appropriate for participants to follow, in addition to adapting and evolving around each participant based on their feedback. This unique model of therapeutic exercise delivery on tablet computers means that group classes can be delivered, but where each participant follows a tailored programme unique to their needs and requirements.

Participant Lauraine McMann shares her positive experience: “At my hydro pool class I already attend at Tullos Swimming Pool, I was encouraged to attend a new class called ‘Good Boost’ by one of the instructors – and I’m so glad I did!”

“I’ve had three full hip replacements (my first at age 45), a full knee replacement and a crushed spinal cord from my neck down – all caused by osteoarthritis amongst other things. I could hardly walk, have had to use crutches for five years to get me around, my balance was very bad, and I had trouble walking up stairs.”

“After I signed up for Good Boost, I was given a tablet and I had to put down all my health conditions and disabilities, then all the exercises you are given are tailored specifically for you. You log-in and get your own exercise regime.”

“I think this is fantastic as you know you are being taught the proper method of each exercise, without pain and discomfort whilst doing so.”

“I’ve been going to Good Boost for about 16 weeks and I can’t believe how far I’ve come on! It has given me a miraculous feeling of self-confidence, my anxiety and stress has gone, I can walk the length and breadth of the pool without the aid of a float or bar to stop me falling.”

“I’ve regained my balance, I feel that my legs are stronger, and I can stretch them now without pain. I still have pain in my back but much less than before.

“Every session in the pool I’ve improved and increased my exercise level, this gives me a sense of pride in myself, bringing up my self-esteem.”

“The instructors are great, they are in the pool to help with any challenges, and they give out the equipment that you need in the 45-minute session such as floats or weights.”

“I personally feel that I am the main driver in my recovery, with the help of Good Boost and my instructor Carol who is a god send! Her sense of humour and outgoing personality means she fits in well with everyone and is encouraging and helpful when needed.”

“I just want to finish off by saying a BIG THANK YOU to Good Boost and Sport Aberdeen for all their hard work and dedication in helping people regain a good quality of life through a regime of regular hydro pool, tailor made exercise classes.”

“I have no hesitation in recommending Good Boost to anyone.”

Another participant Linda Sturton said: “I’m enjoying the Good Boost sessions as they allow me to exercise pain free whilst I’m awaiting knee surgery.”

“They allow me to exercise regularly which I wouldn’t be able to do otherwise. I like how you can vary the workouts, use equipment like paddles, woggles etc. and also choose the length of time you want to exercise.”

“The pool is nice and quiet allowing you to concentrate on your exercises, with help available if you require it.”

Participant Helen McBrearty said: “I really enjoy attending Good Boost as it is helps with the osteoarthritis in my knees.”

“The water helps to make exercise less painful and working with the tablet, I can go at my own pace. I have also enjoyed getting to know some of the other participants and the staff at the pool who are very friendly and helpful.”

Ben Wilkins, Good Boost CEO, said: “It’s brilliant to hear the feedback from Good Boost participants at Sport Aberdeen.

“This highlights the benefits people are experiencing as a result of how exceptionally well the Sport Aberdeen team have set-up and implemented Good Boost in their region.

“Our mission as a social enterprise is to support people living with joint pain and health conditions to Move More, Have Fun and Feel Better, and it’s clear that all around Aberdeen, this is being delivered every single week”.

Due to increasing demand, three new morning Good Boost classes will be added at Get active @ Northfield from Monday 30 October at 09:15, 10:15 and 11:15.

These are free to attend for Sport Aberdeen members, or £6 per session for new customers. A one-hour induction must be completed before an individual can attend a session.

Those who wish to find out further information or request an induction, please click here.

Positive participant feedback can be viewed in the videos below:

• Amanda    
• Yasmin    
• Margaret     
• Susan

Images above: Participants at Good Boost session at Get active @ Northfield

Due to Storm Babet, the following venues are closed:

• Get active @ Alex Collie (the venue will also be closed on Saturday 21, Sunday 22 and Monday 23 October)
• All golf courses and footgolf (MacKenzie Championship and Hazlehead Pines golf courses will also remain closed on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 October)
• Adventure Aberdeen Snowsports Centre
• Padel and outdoor tennis courts at Aberdeen Tennis Centre (Padel courts will not reopen until Tuesday at the earliest)
• 3G Pitches
• Walk Aberdeen Social Walks remain cancelled today

As things currently stand, all other venues are open and operating as normal, and lessons and coaching programmes (other than gymnastics at Get active @ Alex Collie) will go ahead today. If there is any change to this we will update our website and social media channels.

We thank you for your patience and understanding.

Sport Aberdeen is thrilled to be shortlisted as a finalist in The Herald & GenAnalytics Diversity Awards 2023.

Now in its eighth year, the intention of the awards is to showcase the amazing work being done across Scotland to create equal opportunities for everyone. It also aims to highlight the individuals and organisations making a difference in their workplaces through a range of policies and strategies relating to inclusion and diversity.    

Sport Aberdeen is a finalist in the ‘Diversity in Sport’ category, sponsored by sportscotland. The other three finalists in the category are Scottish Sports Futures, 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships and University of Strathclyde, Trans and Non-Binary Swim Sessions.

Sport Aberdeen’s entry focused on the impact it has made through various initiatives including its dedicated inclusion forum, the sessions it offers for individuals with additional support needs including swimming, ice skating and snowsports, and its corporate induction which has a newly refreshed section on equality, diversity and inclusion.         

The charity also delivers initiatives for key target groups – its SPACE programme supports care experienced children and young people through bespoke one-to-one support, helping to use the power of sport and physical activity to result in positive change.     

Another example is its Get active for Less scheme, providing discounted access for those on benefits and allowances, and older adults aged 66 and over. 

Kim McRobbie, Active Schools and EDI Manager, said: “We are delighted to be a finalist in the Diversity in Sport category. 

“Inclusion is one of our core values at Sport Aberdeen and we are passionate about ensuring that sport and physical activity is accessible to everyone, working with communities to understand and break down any barriers to participation.

“Through Active Schools, we are committed to providing a safe and inclusive space to ensure that the achievements, attitudes and wellbeing of every child and young person matters. Effective partnership working is crucial to ensure this is successful.

“Well done to every finalist – we should all be proud of the roles we are playing to create a more equal society in Scotland, and we look forward to celebrating next week!”   

The ceremony will take place at DoubleTree by Hilton Glasgow Central on October 12 where the winners will be announced. 

The full list of finalists can be viewed here.

During July and early August, award-winning charity Sport Aberdeen was pleased to deliver the Mini Riders pilot programme on behalf of Scottish Cycling.

Aimed at children aged 4-8 years old who can already ride a bike independently, Mini Riders is designed to bridge the gap between the pathway of learning to ride a bike, and then joining a youth club thereafter.      

Sport Aberdeen’s community sport team led the delivery of five 4-hour sessions with a small group of Ukrainian children at the Dyce multi use games area (MUGA), adjacent to the 3G pitch. Due to the young age of the participating children, none of the sessions were road based.

Volunteers also helped at the sessions including Bob Tayler, Head of Outdoor Education at Robert Gordon’s College, Alex Calton & Scott Goodall from beCyCle community project, and Molly Evans, former Scottish cycling champion and active member of Deeside Thistle Cycling Club.   

Camphill School kindly donated a selection of reconditioned second-hand bikes to the project for the children to use, and ASDA Dyce generously provided free water for the participants. 

The sessions were crafted to be progressive, stimulating and fun – various exercises and games were introduced to support with the development of cycling skills including balance, general bike control, track standing, cycling out of the saddle, and riding safely near others.

Although the programme is geared towards children who can already cycle, two children unable to ride a bike attended some of the sessions. One child made excellent progress and managed to pedal around the MUGA and the surrounding park area.

At the end of the final session, children enjoyed drawing a velodrome and taking part in individual pursuit races, followed by grass track racing.

One young girl said: “I love cycling!”

Two parents who were keen on acquiring bikes for future rides with their children were directed to the beCyCle project volunteers, with the hope that they could assist in procuring the bikes.    

Mark Pain, Community Sport Manager at Sport Aberdeen, said: “It has been very rewarding to deliver the Mini Riders sessions on behalf of Scottish Cycling to young Ukrainian children living in Aberdeen.

“The children had a lot of fun, and we are grateful to the volunteers who gave up their time to help at the sessions.

“We’d also like to thank Camphill School for the generous donation of bikes for the children to use, and to ASDA Dyce for providing the water.      

“This project forms part of wider work we are doing with the local Ukrainain community, and we are keen to build on this by increasing the number of opportunities available to communities across the city who face barriers to engaging in sport and physical activity.”

Molly Evans, Active Schools volunteer and former Scottish Road and omnium champion, said: “I enjoyed being part of the programme because I love riding my bike, and spreading that enjoyment to others is excellent.

“I think the children really enjoyed getting the opportunity to learn how to ride safely whilst having fun too. I love cycling because not only is it a sport, but also a key life skill and mode of transport – there are so many uses, and I think it’s a great skill for children to learn.” 

Bob Tayler, Head of Outdoor Education at Robert Gordon’s College, said: “The Mini Riders programme started with games and challenges to enable the young children to ride the bikes fast (or as fast as they could) and have a laugh!

“The language barrier was less prevalent than we thought, as a lot of the activities required a demonstration and simple, clear instruction.

“It was a great programme well delivered by Sport Aberdeen Project Activator Laura Benson and hopefully can be developed throughout the city.”

Further information about Mini Riders can be found on British Cycling’s website here.

Above: Ukrainian children enjoying the Mini Riders sessions at the Dyce multi-use games area

Sport Aberdeen is thrilled to be shortlisted as a finalist in the ‘Large Organisation of the Year’ category of the 2023 Celebrate Aberdeen Awards.

Now in its fourth year, the awards ceremony recognises and celebrates the vast contribution made by third sector organisations, volunteers and individuals across Aberdeen and will take place at The Chester Hotel on October 28.

Thanks to the generosity and financial support of sponsors, all award category finalists and their guests will attend the evening event for free.

Sport Aberdeen’s award entry highlighted some of its achievements, including generating more than £8.0M in social value in the last financial year through delivery of sport and physical activity across its venues and programmes.  

The impact of its SPACE programme for care experienced children and young people was emphasised – the charity delivered 600 hours of direct support to young people through one-to-one interventions.

Based on understanding that relative poverty adversely impacts on health and wellbeing, Sport Aberdeen currently provides over 500 Get active and Get active Junior memberships to all care experienced children, young people and a member of their support network.

These free memberships provide access to activities including swimming, ice skating, golf, tennis, tubing, snowsports and more.

The award entry also referred to Sport Aberdeen’s Active Lifestyles programme for older adults with long term health conditions, and the charity’s involvement in sportscotland nationwide initiative, Kit for All.

Kit for All aims to remove participation barriers to sport and physical activity by providing recycled and pre-loved sports kits to individuals and families who could benefit from the support.

Sport Aberdeen has drop off and collection points at all of its fitness venues and has involved other external partners including Decathlon and Goals Aberdeen.

Graeme Dale, Head of Sport and Active Communities, said: “We are thrilled to be a finalist in this year’s Celebrate Aberdeen Awards.

“The volume and calibre of entries is always high, so it is humbling to be shortlisted and recognised for the work that we do.

“Congratulations to all the other finalists and we look forward to celebrating together at the event in October.”

Celebrate Aberdeen board member, Susan Crighton said: “This is our fourth awards event, we have been humbled yet again by the fact we received so many applications from such a diverse range of charities and individuals, all of whom are doing amazing things.

“Celebrate Aberdeen was created to give recognition to the many wonderful people who work in, volunteer for, and support our third sector. We cannot wait to share their successes on our awards night.”

The full list of finalists can be found here.

As part of our commitment to continuous improvement and to enhance the overall golf experience for our customers, we have scheduled greens and fairways maintenance and tree felling works taking place across our golf courses.

As the works take place, there will be necessary course closures on the following dates:

25 & 26 September – Balnagask Golf Course

Course closed to allow greens maintenance works to be carried out.

2 – 4 October – Kings Links Golf Course

Course closed to allow greens maintenance and targeted fairways scarification works to be carried out.  

4 – 6 October – MacKenzie Championship Golf Course

Course closed to allow greens maintenance and targeted fairways scarification works to be carried out.  

16 & 17 October – Hazlehead Pines Golf Course

Course closed to allow greens maintenance works to be carried out. 

23 – 31 October – Hazlehead Pines Golf Course – Tree felling works

Partial closure for 7 working days to allow for tree felling works to take place. The course will be open as normal on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 October. 

Please note: There is only a partial course closure whilst the tree felling works take place, and only holes 10, 11 and 12 will be closed. Golfers will go from hole 9 to hole 13, playing a 15-hole course. These works are required by SSE to remove trees beside the electricity pylons on the 11th fairway.

Image above: fairway scarification at MacKenzie Championship Golf Course

We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience that may be caused while these works take place. We strive to provide the best playing experience possible across our golf courses, and these works are required to ensure the ongoing quality and health of the greens and fairways.

A detailed account of the works is outlined below: 

• Following greens soil sample tests analysed by the STRI (Sports Turf Research Institute), the greens will be scarified in two directions to a depth of 25mm to target the organic matter build up in the top 25mm of the soil profile. This will help to reduce levels of organic matter down to around 4-6%. 
• Greens will then have a pass with the verti cutting units followed by a deep solid tine with a 12mm wide x 200mm depth tine.
• They will then receive a light top dress with sand and will be overseeded with a Fescue/Bent seed mix.
• This will be followed up with another top dress, with the target volume of 30-40 tonnes of sand per course working into the soil profile.
• A granular fertiliser will then be applied to help aid recovery.
• At Kings Links and the MacKenzie Championship Golf Courses, targeted fairways scarification will also take place, which involves top dressing with sand and seed mix.

This is an intensive but necessary process to ensure the greens and fairways playing surfaces are healthy. It is vital that these processes are done now to allow recovery before the grass growth regresses as the temperatures start to drop before the winter season.

Images above: brushing and sanding of the greens at Hazlehead

We thank all of our golf members and pay and play users for their support and patience as we carry out these important works.