Sport Aberdeen is delighted to announce plans for the refurbishment and expansion of Northfield Swimming Pool.
Together with Aberdeen City Council, Sport Aberdeen is committing a very significant financial investment to deliver a state of the art health, fitness and sport hub. In addition to technical upgrades to the pool itself, the new facilities will provide an exciting wellness centre for the local community and for those from across the city. The introduction of a 40-station gym and exercise studio will complement the existing FIFA approved high class 3G artificial turf pitch on the site.
The investment will secure the centre’s long-term future, provide additional capacity to the venue, and will build on the centre’s role in the community and as a vital sports facility for the city.
Discussions regarding plans for the refurbishment have commenced and there is an extensive work plan to pull together. The site will be updated with news on this over the coming weeks.
Unfortunately, Northfield Swimming Pool had to close due to recurring interconnected technical problems. Despite the best efforts from Sport Aberdeen staff and specialist technicians over many months, these problems accumulated to such an extent that the swimming pool is simply unable to function.
Northfield Swimming Pool will remain closed until this project is completed.
Please be advised that the 3G pitch has not been affected by this closure and is operating as normal, as always subject to availability and weather conditions. The Northfield Swimming Pool reception will remain open to take bookings for the pitch and for further information.
We ask that people check the Sport Aberdeen website and social media channels for updates or call the pool helpline on 01224 214496 for further information.
Sport Aberdeen is doing all it can to set up alternative options for customers and this work is ongoing. To ensure that our customers can continue to get active with Sport Aberdeen throughout this closure, please find alternative options and arrangements during this period.
Please click here for more full information on alternative swimming options and arrangements.
Robbie Simpson with (left to right) Lewis Moir, Aimee Cumming, Connor Raitt, Aalyah Wilkinson, Karin Watt and Sophie Imlach.
A Deeside Runners club member who is representing Scotland in the 2018 Commonwealth Games has inspired local pupils to take on a running challenge this year.
Robbie Simpson, who the Inverness half-marathon at the weekend, last week visited Aberdeen’s Westpark School to speak to pupils about his running experiences, from his first race to his Commonwealth Games preparation.
The visit came ahead of the official ten-week countdown to the North East’s longest running road race.
Organisers of the BHGE 10k Running Festival today said, “This is a brilliant opportunity for pupils to be inspired by a local sporting star and take on the Active Schools 2k race, part of Aberdeen’s BHGE 10k Running Festival this May”.
The BHGE 10k Running Festival, now in its 31st year, is run by registered charity Sport Aberdeen and title sponsors BHGE. The Active Schools 2k Run is open to children from P6 – S4 and includes a wheelchair race category. The event will take place on Sunday 20th May.
Jill Franks, Sport Aberdeen’s Director for Business Development, said:
“The BHGE 10k Running Festival is a family event at the very heart of our community and highlights Sport Aberdeen’s commitment to creating opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to take part in sport and physical activity.
“The Active Schools 2k Run is a great chance for younger participants to join in, get active and ignite a passion for sport that can last a lifetime.”
Robbie Simpson commented:
“Events like these are a great way for kids from all backgrounds to get in to running, it’s really enjoyable to compete in a big race close to home alongside friends and family.
“For some it may be their first step in discovering natural talent or passion for competitive sport and for others it may be a way to make new friends and keep fit – the important thing is having the opportunity to get involved in a fun and healthy activity.”
For more information and to sign up for the race click here.
2017 label design winner Daisy Rennie with Active Schools Coordinator Sam Main.
The countdown is on. There is only one week left to enter a competition to design the label which will appear on water bottles handed out at the BHGE 10k Running Festival this May. Entry Deadline for label designs is 12pm on Monday 12th March 2018.
Deeside Mineral Water, the official water partner of the BHGE 10K Running Festival, is running a competition for local children to design the label for the water bottles that will be handed out on race day to over four thousand runners.
Young people from schools across Aberdeen City are being called upon to design labels which will encourage children to drink more water and highlight the importance of staying hydrated.
This is the third year that Deeside Mineral Water have run the water bottle label design competition in partnership with Sport Aberdeen, with over 100 entries received from children across the city last year.
The winning design will be made into the water bottle label that will be handed out to everyone taking part in the BHGE 10k Running Festival on Sunday 20th May 2018.
The winning designer will have the chance to be part of the official 10k race start and be invited to attend a special tour of the Deeside Mineral Water facilities where they can see their label being applied on to the bottles.
The BHGE 10k Running Festival is the North East’s longest running road race and is organised by registered charity Sport Aberdeen in partnership with BHGE.
Jill Franks, Sport Aberdeen’s Director of Business Development, said:
“We have been hugely impressed by previous designs and are thoroughly looking forward to seeing more entries this year. Sport Aberdeen and Deeside Mineral Water are asking local children to think up new and inspiring ways to encourage their peers to drink more water and highlight the importance of staying hydrated, especially while running a race!
“This year we hope to see even more young people from across Aberdeen City and shire take on the challenge and get involved in this great opportunity and make a splash with their label designs!”
Managing Director of Deeside Mineral Water, Martin Simpson commented:
“For the last two years we have welcomed the winner to the factory at Ballater to see their label design come to life. As 2018 is Scotland’s Year of Young People we’re delighted to be launching this competition again, aimed at primary school children. It proved to be a great talking point with the runners on the day and we look forward to seeing what ideas the children create.”
Lesley McMullan, Marketing Specialist for BHGE said:
“As proud sponsors of the 10k we’re delighted that Deeside Mineral Water are running this competition for local primary schools again. It is a fantastic example to show that the BHGE 10k is a true community event and encourages people of all ages to have a healthier and more active lifestyle.”
For more information on how to enter click here.
Scan and email your entry to: bhge10k@sportaberdeen.co.uk or
Send you completed entry to:
Events Team
Sport Aberdeen
Broadfold House
Broadfold Road
Bridge of Don
Aberdeen AB23 8E
Thanks to the help of a Granite City volunteer, a brand-new netball club for young girls has been set up in the city.
The new ‘West End Netball Club’, for S1 girls from Harlaw Academy and Aberdeen Grammar, has been set up by Sport Aberdeen’s Active Schools Coordinators as there was nowhere for girls of this age in this area to take part in the popular sport.
Active Schools Coordinators approached Claire Pearson, a parent volunteer who previously ran the Active Schools netball for Ashley Road Primary. Claire agreed to take on the challenge and now helps to run the West End Netball Club.
The new club has also welcomed two senior Harlaw Academy pupils to take on a leading volunteering role having completed their leadership training through Active Schools.
The first session, at Harlaw Academy, saw 23 girls turn up and runs on a Monday evening from 8.30-9.30pm for S1 girls from Harlaw Academy and Aberdeen Grammar.
Jo Bell, Sport Aberdeen’s Director for Sport and Active Lifestyles, said:
“The long-term goal is for West End Netball to become a recognised netball club in the city which would allow for more age groups and schools to attend training and enjoy the sport.
“As a charity we rely heavily on volunteers giving their time to help keep Aberdeen’s communities active and give young people opportunities to take part in sport and physical activity.
“On behalf of Sport Aberdeen, I would like to thank everyone who volunteers with us. We are always looking for more people to get involved which in turn allows us to reach more people and changes more lives through sport and physical activity.”
Claire Pearson commented:
“The main reason I decided to volunteer is because as a young girl I played netball and it gave me so many life skills which have helped me throughout life, including confidence, working effectively in a team, friendships and general wellbeing.
“At West End Netball Club it’s great to see all the girls enjoying a team sport, making new friendships and enjoying physical activity. For me, if you have a skill or knowledge it great to share it with children who love to learn.”
Click here for more information on how to volunteer with Sport Aberdeen.
Colin Taylor, Sport Aberdeen chairman with Dean Philips Garthdee Alpine Sports (Aberdeen Snowsports Centre) chairman.
Following a review commissioned by Aberdeen City Council, Sport Aberdeen, Aberdeen Snowsports Centre and Adventure Aberdeen are set to merge.
The review has established that it would be both feasible and beneficial to the City Council to bring the organisations together, and that there would be significant service advantages as well as efficiencies.
Aberdeen Snowsports Centre and Adventure Aberdeen will be merged into the larger charitable structure of Sport Aberdeen, creating an organisation that can draw on expertise across sporting specialisms to offer a more dynamic range of services and optimising opportunities to get active in the City.
The first phase of the merger sees Sport Aberdeen & Aberdeen Snowsports Centre formally taking steps to amalgamate, with the Chairs of the Charities meeting recently to plan the integration. In a joint statement they commented:
“We are fully aware of the financial pressures faced by our partners Aberdeen City Council and we must do what we can to help support the Council with the challenges that lie ahead. We also need to ensure that what we offer is sustainable going forward and our coming together will be an important step in that direction.
“We have listened to the Council and studied the review’s findings carefully and we can see the benefits that this will deliver, along with the opportunity to combine our broad range of services and management expertise together.
Dean Phillips, Chair of Aberdeen Snowsports Centre said:
“As we work towards this aim, we wish to reassure all our snowsports and football customers, users, clubs and organisations that it will be business as usual for the foreseeable future. The same message has also been given to our staff and volunteers who support the delivery of the many programmes. We have much to do behind the scenes and we will approach this with care and diligence to ensure the best possible outcome.”
Plans for the incorporation of the Adventure Aberdeen service are ongoing. The Council and Sport Aberdeen have established a Project Integration Team with the intention of completing a smooth transfer of staff and services by the end March 2018.
Commenting on the merger, Alistair Robertson, Managing Director of Sport Aberdeen said:
“Bringing the three organisations together makes sense and offers a number of advantages. I am confident that the merged services will be more efficient and effective in the way that they are planned, delivered and developed and we are all excited about the possibilities that lie ahead. We can really push on and make what we offer in Aberdeen the envy of Scotland.”
Aberdeen Judo Club this week welcomed Scotland’s gold medal winning sisters for a special one-off coaching session.
Sisters Louise and Kimberley Renicks, who are both Commonwealth gold medallists from 2014, led sessions with the junior and senior groups at the local club on Tuesday (20th February) at the Beach Leisure Centre.
Alongside their Commonwealth Games success, the siblings have competed at European and World level. Jean Davidson Aberdeen Judo Club Secretary said, “it was an honour for the Club to have them take the sessions”.
The Granite City Martial Arts club runs on a Tuesday and a Thursday for juniors and seniors. The junior session is for children up to the age of 13 years and the senior session accommodates ages 14 and upwards.
The night was a resounding success with over 50 participants turning up for the special session including those travelling from other judo clubs around the North East.
Jo Bell, Sport Aberdeen’s Director for Sport and Active Lifestyles, said:
“We were thrilled to welcome Louise and Kimberley to the Beach leisure Centre and to see such a strong turnout was great.
“Sport Aberdeen is committed to creating opportunities and inspiring people to take part in sport and through local clubs we can encourage more people of all ages and abilities to get active.”
Jean Davidson, Aberdeen Judo Club Secretary, said:
“Louise and Kimberly were fantastic and held everyone’s attention during both junior and senior sessions. It was an honour for the club to have them take the sessions.
“This is something we need to do more of and hopefully we will be able to have another session like this in the future. The turnout we had was amazing and I would like to thank the clubs present for their support.”
Aberdeen City Council has pledged to support a citywide transformational campaign aimed at getting more people more active in the North East.
The campaign, led by the Active Aberdeen Partnership (AAP), will champion a move to make 2018 the Year of an ‘Active City’, helping more people take part in sport and physical activity, creating better lifestyles and improving overall wellbeing.
Activate the City will strive to challenge national trends and create an active culture throughout Aberdeen, with a focus on impacting the health and social wellbeing of the Granite City’s communities whilst addressing overcoming barriers to participation.
Local communities will be called upon to help transform and encourage physical activity and sport engagement, with backing from strategic leaders, parents, teachers, friends and colleagues, helping to promote an active culture citywide.
The AAP is urging people to keep a look out as more information on this citywide campaign will be available soon which will give everyone the chance to pledge their support towards activating the city and helping to make Aberdeen healthier.
Tony Dawson, Active Aberdeen Partnership Chairman, said:
“Physical inactivity contributes to nearly 2,500 deaths a year in Scotland (1) and it is my hope that this is the beginning of a ground- breaking, transformational strategy, set to improve the health and wellbeing of the local population for years to come through embedding and celebrating an active culture citywide.
“Locals leaders have backed a drive to Activate the City, underling commitment to helping people take part in physical activity and sport, creating better lifestyles and improving wellbeing through being active more often.
“It is down to each and every one of us in Aberdeen to support the ambition to Activate the City and make Aberdeen the most active city in Scotland by 2020 by helping establish an active culture and making personal and organisational commitments to change.
“Everyone will soon have the chance to pledge to help Activate the City and work towards a healthier and happier Aberdeen together.”
Cllr Jenny Laing, Co-Leader of Aberdeen City Council, said:
“Aberdeen City Council is committed to ensuring every community thrives and giving individuals the opportunities to prosper in all aspects of their lives. Health and wellbeing underpins that ambition for the people of the city and we are delighted to support an initiative which will have a positive impact across the city.
Cllr Douglas Lumsden, Co-Leader of Aberdeen City Council, also commented:
“Through our events programme, which this year included the introduction of the Great Aberdeen Run and brought Tour Series Cycling to the north-east for the first time, we are making an investment in sport – both at elite level to encourage engagement but also crucially in opening up avenues for residents to participate.”
Golden Games Ambassadors
The Winter Golden Games were hosted at Westburn Outdoor Centre last Thursday (8th February), marking the launch of this year’s summer event and thanking those who work to bring the citywide games to life.
The Winter Golden Games, which launched last year, are delivered by the Active Aberdeen Partnership (AAP) and aim to get people aged 65 and over actively involved in physical activity regardless of age or ability.
The event also served as a thank you to the Golden Game Ambassadors for their continued support in developing, promoting and running the games, which has become a hugely successful and permanent fixture in Aberdeen’s sporting calendar.
The action-packed day included activities such as Boccia, Technogym, Pickleball, Health Walks and Seated Exercise, allowing new and regular Golden Games attendees to take part in physical activity.
The 2018 Golden Games will take place on Thursday 7th to Friday 15th June.
Tony Dawson, Active Aberdeen Chairman, commented:
“Physical activity has a hugely positive and lasting effect on overall health and wellbeing and taking part in sport is something that people of all ages and abilities can enjoy.
“The Winter Golden Games give us the perfect stage to recognise ambassadors and organisations who support the award-winning initiative, and I would like to thank each and every one of them on behalf of the Active Aberdeen Partnership.”
2017 label design winner Daisy Rennie with Active Schools Coordinator Sam Main.
Deeside Mineral Water, the official water partner of the BHGE 10k Running Festival, has launched a competition for local children to design the label for the water bottles that will be handed out on race day to over four thousand runners.
Young people from schools across Aberdeen City are being called upon to design labels which will encourage children to drink more water and highlight the importance of staying hydrated.
This is the third year that Deeside Mineral Water have run the water bottle label design competition in partnership with Sport Aberdeen, with over 100 entries received from children across the city last year.
The winning design will be made into the water bottle label that will be handed out to everyone taking part in the BHGE 10k Running Festival on Sunday 20th May 2018.
The winning designer will have the chance to be part of the official 10k race start and be invited to attend a special tour of the Deeside Mineral Water facilities where they can see their label being applied on to the bottles.
The BHGE 10k Running Festival is the North East’s longest running road race and is organised by registered charity Sport Aberdeen in partnership with BHGE.
Jill Franks, Sport Aberdeen’s Director of Business Development, said:
“We have been hugely impressed by previous designs and are thoroughly looking forward to seeing more entries this year. Sport Aberdeen and Deeside Mineral Water are asking local children to think up new and inspiring ways to encourage their peers to drink more water and highlight the importance of staying hydrated, especially while running a race!
“This year we hope to see even more young people from across Aberdeen City and shire take on the challenge and get involved in this great opportunity and make a splash with their label designs!”
Managing Director of Deeside Mineral Water, Martin Simpson commented:
“For the last two years we have welcomed the winner to the factory at Ballater to see their label design come to life. As 2018 is Scotland’s Year of Young People we’re delighted to be launching this competition again, aimed at primary school children. It proved to be a great talking point with the runners on the day and we look forward to seeing what ideas the children create.”
Lesley McMullan, Marketing Specialist for BHGE said:
“As proud sponsors of the 10k we’re delighted that Deeside Mineral Water are running this competition for local primary schools again. It is a fantastic example to show that the BHGE 10k is a true community event and encourages people of all ages to have a healthier and more active lifestyle.”
Entry Deadline for label designs is midday on Monday 12th March 2018.
Click on the links to download entry form and fact sheet. Active Schools Coordinators will also be handing out competition entry forms in schools.
Scan and email your entry to: bhge10k@sportaberdeen.co.uk or
Send you completed entry to:
Events Team
Sport Aberdeen
Broadfold House
Broadfold Road
Bridge of Don
Aberdeen AB23 8E
As part of Ashley Road Primary School’s health week, Sport Aberdeen’s Active Schools coordinators arranged a sport ‘Taster Day’.
The action-packed sessions took place at the Beach Leisure Centre and the Linx Ice Arena and saw almost 50 primary 7 pupils attend the event.
Each pupil received a 30-minute taster of the following, alongside an ice skating session at the Linx Ice Arena.
- Badminton delivered by badminton Scotland
- Netball delivered by Netball Scotland
- Volleyball delivered by Aberdeen Grammar School Volleyball Club
- Basketball delivered by Panthers Basketball Club
- 45 minutes ice skating at the Linx Ice Arena
For more information on Active Schools Aberdeen, click here.