The Albury Community Sports Hub Open Day is typically an annual fixture in the events calendar – however due to Covid-19, the last event took place in 2019.

The community sport team at Sport Aberdeen worked closely with the hub to plan and deliver its 2023 event, which took place on Saturday 27 May and was a great success!

Over 200 attendees gathered to enjoy the sun, meet new people, connect with others in the local community and take a look at the activities the hub has to offer.

On the day, free activity taster sessions for attendees included tennis, pickleball, lawn bowls, putting, petanque and croquet – these are available all year round.

Albury Community Sports Hub is run by a dedicated team of volunteers who handle the day-to-day management of the facility and delivery of activities, support by Sport Aberdeen’s community sport team.

The hub is nestled in a lovely green space in Ferryhill and is a real leafy gem in the city centre.    

It was great to see the open day so busy and a successful example of the power of community sport in action.  

Sport Aberdeen hopes to build on this and encourage more collaboration between sports clubs and community organisations, to grow participation in sport and physical activity across Aberdeen.

You can find out more about what the community sport team does on our website here.

Award-winning charity Sport Aberdeen has officially opened the first premier padel tennis centre in Aberdeen. 

The centre was opened by Chairman, Tony Dawson and President of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), Sandi Procter on Tuesday 30 May. Both Tony and Sandi are former Cults Lawn Tennis Club players.      

At the ceremony, over 30 guests gathered to browse the courts and watch Sandi provide a demonstration with other coaches – guests were also encouraged to pick up a bat and have a go at playing for themselves.

The two new padel courts are adjacent to the charity’s popular Aberdeen Tennis Centre venue in Westburn Park, operating within the North East Tennis District.

Above: Players walking onto the new padel courts

According to the Lawn Tennis Association, these are courts 17 and 18 to be constructed in Scotland. The facility is covered by a canopy, so the sport can be enjoyed all year round.

Sport Aberdeen is grateful to the Lawn Tennis Association for providing the charity with a six-figure interest free loan to bring the project to life.

The charity will provide all equipment including padel bats and balls for customers and members who wish to play.

L-R: Sandi Procter and Tony Dawson giving their speeches at the opening event

About Sandi Procter

Sandi is a well-known face in the tennis world and has a clear passion for youth tennis. Sandi and her late husband Steve lived in Aberdeen for several years and both played for Cults Lawn Tennis Club in the first team.

She is a former PE teacher turned tennis coach and Tennis Centre Manager – she created the original Mini Tennis Red, Orange and Green programme and the Tennis Leaders Programme for the LTA, providing resources, training materials and delivery to British coaches.

With a long history of volunteering within tennis, she joined the LTA Board on 6 January 2017 as a Council-elected Non-Executive Director and then became LTA Deputy President in January 2020. 

Before she became Deputy President, she represented Kent on the LTA Council. She was on the Kent LTA Board until 2022 and was involved in a wide range of Kent activities for over 25 years.

This year, she was appointed as the LTA President for 2023 – 2025. She is also a Trustee of the LTA Tennis Foundation, a member of the Tennis Europe Development Committee and the ITF Olympic Committee.

L-R: Blane Dodds, Tony Dawson, Sandi Procter and Lord Provost.

Sandi Procter, President of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), said: “Padel is such a fun and engaging sport and it’s wonderful that these courts will provide the Aberdeen community with the chance to play the sport.

“The LTA and LTA Tennis Foundation were pleased to help fund and facilitate this project to add padel courts to the already successful Community Indoor Tennis Centre.”

Blane Dodds, CEO of Tennis Scotland, said: “As the independent governing body for padel in Scotland, Tennis Scotland are delighted that new courts have opened at Aberdeen Tennis Centre.

“Padel offers a unique and exciting future and is becoming increasingly popular in Scotland, as we continue to work with venues and operators to maximise opportunities for growth.

“Padel will help our tennis clubs and venues across Scotland further engage with their members, attract new members and offer increased options for our local communities.”

Above: Tennis Scotland CEO, Blane Dodds

How to play padel

Padel is a sport for anyone and everyone to enjoy, and no prior tennis experience is necessary.

Predominantly played in doubles, it is renowned for being easier than tennis due to serving underarm and less technical ability is required.

It is played in a glass-enclosed court with smaller bats, and the ball can be returned off the back and side walls. 

To come along and try out padel for free, click here to book a coaching session.

To find out more, visit Sport Aberdeen’s padel activity page.

The annual Christmas Ice Show in Gosport, Hampshire is a magical experience for many children, bringing families together as they watch the skaters glide effortlessly over the ice.

As a young girl, Catherine Wright loved attending the show – every year she would plead with her parents to let her on the ice and every year her desire grew. On her 10^th birthday, her wish was granted, and she received the perfect gift of ten group skating lessons. Her heart raced at the thought of feeling the ice under her feet for the first time!

Her mother, who originally expected Catherine to become a swimmer, assumed that ice skating was a phase and her daughter would quickly return to swimming lessons. It was not until Catherine threatened to quit swimming altogether that the lessons were purchased, and her ice skating journey was put into motion.

The first lessons flew by and Catherine was hooked. She joined the synchronised skating team and skating club as soon as possible, eager to learn and emulate the dancers from the annual ice show.

Driven by her passion for the sport and her love of the ice, Catherine progressed through the levels, commenting: “I find ice skating absolutely freeing. I also love how strong it makes me feel when I power around the rink!” When asked about her favourite move, she said: “Definitely my choreographic splits slide where I turn a backwards drag into the splits then spin on my knees and bounce back up again to continue my programme.”

At age 19, the next chapter of Catherine’s life started: The study of medicine at the University of Aberdeen – a decision powered largely by Sport Aberdeen’s Linx Ice Arena and the quality of coaching available.  

The weight of a new degree programme – even one as demanding as medicine – did not sway Catherine’s motivation to skate. In fact, being tutored by head coach, Ann Cronin, only accelerated Catherine’s progress.

Training most weekday mornings before university and often starting as early as 5:45am, Catherine has progressed immensely, reaching British Ice Skating level 10 in free dance, compulsory dance and field moves, allowing her to compete in both the gold adult and senior categories.

Catherine attributes a lot of her success to Ann’s coaching and dedication to her students. Travelling up and down the country for competitions is not uncommon for Ann, who will even cross borders and seas to ensure her students have the best competition possible. Catherine feels that Ann is family rather than solely a coach, and it is likely other students feel the same.

On 28April 2023, 24-year-old Catherine competed in the adult nationals at Sheffield Ice Arena in the highest competitive category for both free dance and pattern sections and won gold!

But it does not end there, Catherine now sets her sights on the senior category, with two senior events planned for this year.

She will compete in the Aberdeen Solo Ice Dance Competition and the British Championships for solo ice dance later in the year.

Catherine’s rise to success on the ice is made all the more impressive as many of her opponents are  full-time ice dancers. Her ability to balance ice dancing alongside her university studies is nothing short of inspirational. For those who are looking to brave the ice, Catherine has some advice which will be sure to help you stay upright:

“Take a deep breath and try and forget any fear. If you’re scared, you will stiffen up and that’s when you will hurt yourself. Just take a deep breath and go for it, you’ll be flying round in no time!”.

Sport Aberdeen is pleased to offer a range of ice skating lessons available for all ages. To follow in Catherine’s footsteps and skate at the same rink as her, visit our website and view our full range of opportunities.

You can also read more about Catherine’s recent competition win on the Press & Journal’s website here.

Aberdeenshire Clubsport SCIO’s Annual Awards took place on Friday 17 March at Thainstone House Hotel, showcasing the best of the region’s athletes and sporting successes at an individual, club and team level.

The evening – with 300 individuals in attendance – also celebrated the hard work and commitment of the athletes, volunteers and coaches across the north east.  

Active Schools Coordinator (Virtual School) Katrina Carr scooped two awards, being crowned Young Female Sports Person of the Year and Overall Sports Person of the Year.

In May last year, Katrina won the ITF Taekwon-Do European Championships in Porec, Croatia after competing in the under 56kg senior female sparring division with her coach, Mark Boydell.

Forming part of the ITF Scotland National Taekwon-Do team, Katrina has now scooped her 5^th ITF European Champion title and currently holds the under 56kg World Champion title, all at the age of 24.

Katrina epitomises what a true role model and athlete is – she is well respected and valued in the local community.

Taekwon-Do is more than just a sport or martial art for Katrina, demonstrated by her commitment to performing at the top level, whilst working full time.

As part of her role as an Active Schools Coordinator, she helps to support care experienced children and young people by using sport and physical activity to positively impact their lives. Out with work, she also delivers inspirational workshops to adults to enhance their wellbeing and to children who aspire to be champions.

Kim McRobbie, Active Schools and EDI Manager, said: “Katrina thoroughly deserves both awards and is a true inspiration to all aspiring athletes, or anyone looking to get more active. Despite this, she remains as humble and modest as ever.

Award-winning charity Sport Aberdeen’s Garthdee 3G pitch was officially opened on Wednesday 15 March by chairman Tony Dawson and Councillor Ian Yuill, Co-Leader of Aberdeen City Council.

The key improvements included a complete resurface of the pitch, new ecologically efficient LED lighting to replace the existing floodlights, and new fencing and timber kickboards around the area of play to limit the migration of microplastics into the local environment.

The Scottish Football Partnership Trust awarded £20,000 of funding for the floodlighting and kickboards, following a successful application submitted by Sport Aberdeen and Aberdeen FC Ladies.

Additional funding was secured through the Scottish Football Association’s Grassroots Football Facilities Fund and landowner Aberdeen City Council also made a substantial contribution.

A popular facility in the area, the Garthdee 3G pitch is regularly used by Aberdeen FC Ladies Club, with teams ranging from U8s up to the U18s National Academy Programme. Teams from Robert Gordon University and pupils from Harlaw Academy also make frequent use of the pitch.

“We are delighted to officially open the Garthdee 3G pitch following the recent improvement works to reduce the energy use and carbon footprint of this popular facility.

“We hope the modern, refurbished pitch will offer many benefits to those using it for training and matches.

“We extend our thanks to our funding partners for making these improvements possible.

Tony Dawson, Sport Aberdeen chairman

Councillor Ian Yuill, Co-Leader of Aberdeen City Council, said: “It is great to see this investment in a new 3G pitch at Garthdee.

“It will provide people in Garthdee and across Aberdeen with a first-class facility for enjoying sport and the benefits of exercise.

“In addition, it is a great example of what can be done to look after the environment when designing and delivering new infrastructure.”

Hazel Reid, Chairperson of Aberdeen FC Ladies, said: “Aberdeen FC Ladies is delighted to have been successful in a joint bid with Sport Aberdeen to The Scottish Football Partnership & Trust for new ecologically efficient LED lighting, fencing and timber kickboards around the area of play. This can only enhance the replacement pitch which will be a new, state of the art, 3G surface.

“Aberdeen FC Ladies is a well-established club within the city. It was identified by Sport Aberdeen as the Key Partner Club at the facility and has a pathway in place to offer players the opportunity to participate from U8s to U18s Regional teams and U16s and U18s National Academy Programme teams.

“Additionally, through a partnership with Aberdeen FC, our players have the opportunity to participate from youth with Aberdeen FC Ladies to the highest senior club level with Aberdeen FC Women. We are looking forward to the benefits of the refurbished pitch and enhanced lighting for both training and matches and we would like to thank Aberdeen City Council for their contribution to the project.” 

Sandy Hodge, Chief Executive of The Scottish Football Partnership Trust said: “The SFP Trust was delighted to support Aberdeen F.C. Ladies with funding for this project from our James Anderson Grassroots Football Facilities Fund. 

“The culmination of many months of hard work and collaboration has resulted in this superb facility and it will be great to see the benefits which the new surface and enhanced lighting will bring to the club and also to members of the local community. It is a fantastic achievement by all involved.”

Image credits: Norman Adams, Photographer at Aberdeen City Council

Sport Aberdeen leisure attendant Liam Howe started boxing with Byron Boxing Club in 2017 and has been there ever since, training three nights per week on a Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.

He is committed to his own additional training on top of this, usually at Get active @ Alex Collie or Get active @ Jesmond, increasing his training frequency to six times per week. He also enjoys running outdoors in the summer.

When asked how he initially got into the sport, Liam replied: “I remember randomly thinking… I fancy giving boxing a go – I’ll find somewhere and give it a try, and it all started from there.”

Liam competed at the Scottish Development Championships at the Raven’s Craig Centre in Motherwell earlier in January and scooped silver after winning his fight in the semi-final.

At the same event the year before – in February 2022 – Liam secured gold by winning against four people, stopping three people in the first round and one in the second round. This makes Liam a one-time national champion and he still holds this title. 

To date, he has achieved remarkable results, with eight wins out of the 10 fights he has competed in. His first loss was at age 16 and then last month.

Liam hopes to enter more competitions later on this year. He works with four different coaches at Byron Boxing Club and other non-official coaches support with his training – Kevin Kerr, Niall Munro and his Dad Tony are his main coaches.

Asked about his future goals for boxing, Liam said: “I just look to the next big thing or competition, and then need to give myself at least a full month with no alcohol.

“I need to weigh 60kg or under for national championships, so I have to be really careful with my weight, usually I cut down from around 65-66kg.”

He laughs: “I’m usually really moody when I’m cutting, but it’s got to be done.

“The worst part probably is cutting weight; the training part is easy as I’ve been doing it for five years now. The weight is more difficult as I have ups and downs.”

Liam told us that every club has a home show at least once a year, where family and friends get dressed up for the occasion and come along to watch the fights.

Now aged 21, rising star Liam is definitely one to watch and everyone at Sport Aberdeen wishes him all the success with his training and competitions going forward.  

On February 17, our Active Schools team organised an event to celebrate Care Day – inviting care experienced children and young people and their families to come together for an afternoon of fun and food.

The event took place at Get active @ Sheddocksley and had several young people in attendance from age 5 to 16 years. The attendees participated in different activities including football, badminton, basketball and other sports and games.  

One caregiver said: “This was an excellent event, and so handy. I wish there were more things like this!”

A young person said: “Thanks, I had fun and scored some good baskets too.”

The Active Schools team also attended Aberdeen City Council’s Care Day earlier the same week to show support and provide engaging sports and activities for young people to participate in.

Laura from local business articulate went along to ACC’s Care Day and gave young people the chance to try their hands at street art and graffiti using the materials provided.

At the end of the afternoon, each young person was given a care day gift box to take away with them to mark the occasion and these were well received.

Further information about the support available for care experienced young people through Sport Aberdeen’s Active Schools team can be accessed here.

Dear customer,

I am writing to let you know that, as you may already be aware, Aberdeen City Council confirmed yesterday that it is reducing our funding support by £687,000 and to explain the impact this will have for you, our valued customer.

Our Board of Directors met yesterday to assess how to respond to this significant reduction in funding. It was clear to the trustees that the scale of this financial challenge, coupled with energy price increases, meant that the only way to protect the long-term interests of the charity was to reduce the number of facilities that we operate.

After careful appraisal of all of our facilities, looking at both the operation and maintenance costs, as well as the condition and future of the venues, the board reluctantly came to the conclusion that we will be unable to operate the Beach Leisure Centre and Bucksburn Swimming Pool beyond Sunday 16 April 2023, when both venues will close to the public. 

Our Chairman, Tony Dawson has asked me to share the below statement with you:

“In December last year, our Managing Director Alistair Robertson met with council co-leaders, the chief executive and service directors and was informed of the financial pressures facing local government across Scotland. As a council owned company, it was inevitable that Sport Aberdeen was invited to be part of the discussion and asked what it could do to help the council in this most difficult of circumstances.

“Given the scale of financial challenge, coupled with energy price increases, it was made clear that in the event of a significant funding reduction we would be unable to sustain all the services and facilities we operate.

“Both parties reluctantly accepted that in such a circumstance it would be necessary to cease the operation of Beach Leisure Centre and Bucksburn Swimming Pool, and base future provision at the remaining leisure assets in the city.

“We are already working to minimise the impact on our customers and staff as best we can and I have requested that our Managing Director investigate, as a priority, the feasibility of increasing access at Dyce Academy swimming pool. It would be our intention to move as many of our lessons there as possible to meet the significant demand that exists.

“Our immediate priority has been to reassure staff that their jobs are safe and that everyone will be offered roles at our other venues. We are in the process of contacting our valued customers to make them aware of our other facilities where they can continue to get active.”

Cllr Alex Nicoll, Aberdeen City Council co-leader commented;

“It is well known that the Beach Leisure Centre is at the end of its lifecycle, which is why we are planning for a new facility as part of the Beachfront Master Plan. The leisure pool closed last year due to a combination of rising energy costs and problems with the pool plant infrastructure, and it is simply uneconomical to carry on. The council will arrange for the building to be taken down and the site cleared to make way for future developments.”

In the case of Bucksburn Swimming Pool, in a joint statement Aberdeen City Council and Sport Aberdeen confirmed that;

“Unfortunately, there are significant issues with Bucksburn Swimming Pool plant, linked to the age of the facility, which would cost over £400,000 to address. In the current environment that is just not feasible. In addition, yesterday the Council confirmed in its 2023/2024 budget a commitment of £13million to expand Bucksburn Academy in order to accommodate an increasing school roll, which means that the site of the pool is needed to create space for additional school buildings.”

What will happen to my membership?

Your swim and fitness membership is still valid and can be used at all of our pools and gyms across the city. We will support all of our members through this transition and we will send a further update very soon, with information on alternative venues which are nearby so that you can keep getting active with us.

What will happen to my swimming lessons?

Your direct debit payments will be frozen from the start of May while we work to relocate our lessons programme. Lessons due to take place in the second half of April will be credited when lessons restart at a different venue and any outstanding top-up balances will remain in credit. Our team are working very hard to review the lessons programme, and unfortunately cannot take any requests to move lessons for the moment. We will support all of our valued customers through this change as best we can and will be in touch with you with further information and next steps very soon.

I know that this is an extremely disappointing outcome and I assure you that this decision was not taken lightly. Everyone at Sport Aberdeen remains committed to providing the best sport and physical activity experiences for our customers and we will do all we can to support you over the coming weeks as we move through these changes together.

Best wishes,

Alistair Robertson
Managing Director

Award-winning charity Sport Aberdeen’s new clubhouse – Dyce Sports Pavilion – has been officially opened by chairman Tony Dawson with help from Len Nicol, Dyce Boys Club treasurer and coach.

The opening ceremony took place on Tuesday 21 February and welcomed around 40 guests to view the new venue as Tony and Len unveiled the plaque.

Aberdeen City Council and Sport Aberdeen invested over £300,000 in the transformation project, in addition to £30,000 funding from Dyce Boys Club FC and £20,000 from The Scottish Football Partnership Trust. 

The much-needed Dyce Sports Pavilion offers modern changing, meeting, and storage amenities for players, officials and referees – and will hopefully become a focal point for the community.   

Dyce Boys Club F.C. and Dyce Rugby Club have been key partners in the transformation project and will now have a new place to call home before and after training sessions and matches.         

Tony Dawson, Sport Aberdeen chairman, said: “I am delighted to see the new Dyce Sports Pavilion come to life after a radical transformation.

“It is a brilliant facility to compliment the well-established 3G pitch and we look forward to seeing local sports clubs benefiting from it.”

Neal Ross, Interim Chief Operating Officer at The Scottish Football Partnership, said: ““The SFP Trust was delighted to support this project with funding from our James Anderson Grassroots Football Facilities Fund. 

“The culmination of many months of hard work and collaboration has resulted in this superb facility and it will be great to witness the benefits which the new sports pavilion will bring not only to Dyce Boys Club and Dyce Rugby Club but also to members of the local community. It is a fantastic achievement by all involved.”

Len Nicol, Treasurer and Coach at Dyce Boys Club FC, said: “Dyce Boys Club who – along with Dyce Girls, Dyce FC and Dyce Women – make up the Dyce Community Sports Partnership look forward to making full use of this fantastic new facility.

“It gives us a permanent home and an opportunity to host football festivals and football events which previously could not be held due to a lack of facilities.”

Fourteen years ago, Calvin Macdonald and Kieran Lennox met during their weekly ‘Duckling’ swimming lesson.

Much has changed since then, the class is now called ‘Adult and Child’ for one, but what has not changed is the bond those two-year olds formed in that class all those years ago. Now sixteen, the pair are the shining example of why it is beneficial to start young.

Progressing from ‘Ducklings’ to joining the Bucksburn Amateur Swimming Club, they became training partners and used their friendship to drive their training sessions. It was not long before the pair were competing at a National level, winning medals both individually and as part of a team.

Today, the teens are part of the University of Aberdeen Performance Swim Team, continuing to challenge and encourage each other, but most importantly, having fun! Kieran has found his specialty in Butterfly and Sprint and is the proud owner of the Scottish short course record for sixteen-year-old males in the 50 metre Butterfly.

Calvin’s success is equally impressive, he is a backstroke and Individual Medley specialist, recently winning Gold in his age group at the Scottish Summer Championships in the 400 metre Individual Medley category.

The pair’s ambition, work ethic and dedication to swimming is something to admire, the lessons learned through club swimming will be sure to benefit them throughout their careers as they progress to even greater heights.

The same opportunities that faced Calvin and Kieran are offered to all through Sport Aberdeen’s Aquatics Aberdeen programme, with swimming lessons available for all ages and abilities across six city-wide pools.

For those who wish to follow in their footsteps, Aquatics Aberdeen sticks to the Scottish Swimming Framework, which allows for progression through the stages designed by the national governing body for swimming.

Calvin has since progressed through Sport Aberdeen’s Training Academy, starting off as a volunteer Aquatics Helper and since becoming a qualified Swimming Teacher, passing on his skills (and love of the sport!) to the next generation. Sport Aberdeen’s teaching programme has been recognised for the success of its Aquatic Workforce Development Pathway, both by Scottish Swimming and by Community Leisure UK (CLUK awards finalist 2019).

The benefits of club swimming do not end in the pool, however, the confidence that comes from being part of a team and the friendships made along the way are sure to help shape any youngster into a well-rounded adult.

It is more important now than ever to promote the importance of swimming as a key life skill, hobby and competitive sport – as local community pools are under threat like never before due to rising energy costs.

Friday 24 February is Big Swim Day – a national campaign providing an opportunity for everybody to show their support for their local pool by taking a dip and enjoying the great feeling that comes with a good swim.

Sport Aberdeen is delighted to take part and wants to encourage those who have not tested the waters in a while to head down to their local pool on 24 February.

The list of six Sport Aberdeen swimming pools can be viewed here and further information about Big Swim Day can be accessed here.