Leisure centres in Cardiff facts for kids
Cardiff, the capital city of Wales, has many great places for sports and fun! Most of these places, called leisure centres, are owned by Cardiff Council. Since 2016, eight of these centres have been run by a company called Greenwich Leisure Limited, known by their brand 'Better'. The Channel View Leisure Centre is still managed by Cardiff Council. The Cardiff International Pool in Cardiff Bay is run by a different private company. These centres offer lots of activities for everyone, from swimming and gym workouts to team sports and fun classes.
Fun and Fitness in Cardiff: Leisure Centres
Channel View Leisure Centre
The Channel View Centre is in Grangetown, in the south of Cardiff. It reopened in 2002.
This centre has a big sports hall with a special 3G Astroturf pitch, plus another outdoor 3G Astroturf pitch for five-a-side games. You can also find a fitness room, a dance studio, and a music room. There's even a climbing wall and a squash court! Outside, there's a "World Trail" with equipment like step-up, push-up, and a horizontal loop ladder for outdoor exercise.
Activities include fun things for kids, children's parties, and special holiday programmes. Adults can enjoy fitness classes like aerobics, circuits, boxercise, and kickboxing.
The centre also hosts the Cardiff Bay Water Activity Centre. Here you can try many water and land-based activities.
Eastern Leisure Centre
The Eastern Leisure Centre is in Llanrumney, serving the south-eastern parts of Cardiff. It first opened in 1982.
This centre has a 25-metre swimming pool and a large sports hall with six badminton courts. There are also five squash courts, a fitness room, and an outdoor tarmac pitch for five-a-side football. You can find an activity area, a community room, and a crèche for little ones.
They offer junior activities, children's parties, and holiday programmes. You can also try trampolining and gymnastics. There's a cafeteria and vending machines for snacks.
The centre is currently closed for updates and is expected to reopen soon.
Fairwater Leisure Centre
The Fairwater Leisure Centre is in Fairwater, in the north-west of Cardiff. It opened in 1983.
Its facilities include a sports hall with four badminton courts and four squash courts. There's an outdoor skate park, a fitness room, and a 25-metre swimming pool.
The centre offers many activities for children. These include junior gymnastics, trampolining, and football. They also have holiday programmes. You can grab a snack at the cafeteria or from vending machines.
Llanishen Leisure Centre
The Llanishen Leisure Centre is the biggest leisure centre in Cardiff. It is located in Llanishen, in the north of the city, and opened in 1987.
This centre boasts a fun leisure pool with a wave machine! It also has a large sports hall with six badminton courts and three squash courts. There's a fitness room with a music system and a mini gym for fitness assessments.
Other facilities include a community room and a crèche. They offer junior activities, children's parties, and holiday programmes. You can relax at the bar/coffee area or the poolside café. There's even a snooker room and a private function room for events.
Maindy Centre
The Maindy Centre, also known as Maindy Swimming Pool and Cycle Track, is in Maindy. It first opened in 1993. In 2005, a new fitness room, dance studio, and lecture room were added.
Facilities include a 25-metre swimming pool with six lanes and a full-size football pitch. It also has a special floodlit 460-metre outdoor velodrome for cycling. There's an outdoor tarmac pitch for five-a-side games and a cafeteria. An outdoor exercise area called the Life Trail has stations for warm-ups and stretches.
The centre also has a Road Safety Centre. This provides different road safety programmes and driving courses.
Maindy Centre is home to several sports clubs. These include the Maindy Flyers Youth Cycling Club, Maindy Marlins Swimming Club, and Maindy Corries Football Club. The cycle track was even used in the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games when Cardiff hosted the event.
Pentwyn Leisure Centre
The Pentwyn Leisure Centre is in Pentwyn, in the north-east of Cardiff. It opened in 1989.
This centre has a fantastic leisure pool with a slide, waves, and other fun features! It also offers a sports hall with four badminton courts and two squash courts. There's a fitness room, a community room, and an upper activity area.
For families, there's a crèche, junior activities, children's parties, and holiday programmes. You can find a bar/coffee area and a poolside café. Suites are also available for private events with catering and a licensed bar.
STAR Centre
The STAR Centre is in Splott. It first opened in 1981 and was updated in 2001. It now includes a fitness room and a new library.
Its facilities include six badminton courts and areas for basketball, netball, and football. It has special facilities and changing rooms for disabled visitors. There's a fitness room, gymnastics area, and a soft play area for younger kids.
The centre also has meeting rooms and a function room. They offer children's activities and holiday programmes. Vending machines are available for snacks.
Western Leisure Centre
The Western Leisure Centre is in Caerau, in the south-west of Cardiff. It opened in 1979 and was rebuilt in 2008. This modern centre could even be used for training for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Its facilities include a large fitness room with 72 stations, a cardio theatre, and a spinning room. There's also a dance studio and training rooms. A community room hosts a crèche, martial arts classes, children's parties, and holiday programmes.
Outside, you'll find a floodlit multi use games area for football, basketball, and tennis. The centre has a 25-metre swimming pool and a smaller teaching pool. There's also a fun toddler pool with a small slide and a snake water squirter! You can get snacks from vending machines or the café. The Western Warriors Swimming Club calls this centre home.
Other Cool Sports Places
Cardiff International Pool
The Cardiff International Pool is in the Cardiff International Sports Village. It opened in 2008. This amazing place was built through a partnership between Cardiff Council and Parkwood Leisure.
This huge facility cost £32 million to build! It has two pools. One is an Olympic-standard 50-metre, 10-lane competition swimming pool with seats for 1,000 people. The other is a 25-metre indoor waterpark! This waterpark has fun flume rides, a beach area with water slides, a lazy river, and a jacuzzi. The centre also has a fitness suite and studios, conference rooms, and a café.
The pool was also built to help support the 2012 Summer Olympics in London as a training facility. It replaced the old Empire Pool, which was used in the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games held in Cardiff.
Cardiff International Sports Stadium
The Cardiff International Sports Stadium is a big place for many different sports and special events. It can hold almost 5,000 people.
It has top-notch track and field facilities, including a special area for throwing events. There are rooms for photo finishes and announcements, plus first aid rooms. The stadium has a fitness room with 50 stations and two activity zones. It also has two training rooms and rooms for physiotherapists.
The stadium has a large inner field (100m x 70m) and a full-size artificial training pitch. There are also two rugby/football pitches, one of which is floodlit for night games. A "Trim trail" leads to off-road running paths that connect to Cardiff's parks and the Taff Trail.
This stadium is the home of Welsh athletics. It's also where the Cardiff City Youth Team, Cardiff Bay Harlequins A.F.C., Cardiff City Ladies football club, and Cardiff Amateur Athletic Club train.
