Leisure centres in Cardiff facts for kids
Cardiff, the capital city of Wales, has many fun places to get active! Most of these places, called leisure centres, are owned by the Cardiff Council. Since 2016, some of these centres have been run by a company called Greenwich Leisure Limited, known as 'Better'. This means they help manage the centres and keep them running smoothly.
One centre, Channel View Leisure Centre, is still managed directly by Cardiff Council. Also, the amazing Cardiff International Pool in Cardiff Bay is run by a different private company. So, whether you want to swim, play sports, or try new activities, Cardiff has lots of options for you!
Contents
- Leisure Centres in Cardiff
- Channel View Centre: Fun by the Bay
- Eastern Leisure Centre: Reopened and Ready
- Fairwater Leisure Centre: Skate and Swim
- Llanishen Leisure Centre: Cardiff's Biggest Splash
- Maindy Centre: Cycle and Swim
- Pentwyn Leisure Centre: Waves and Slides
- STAR Centre: Community Hub
- Western Leisure Centre: Rebuilt and Modern
- Other Great Facilities
Leisure Centres in Cardiff
Channel View Centre: Fun by the Bay
The Channel View Centre is located in Grangetown, in the south of Cardiff. It reopened its doors on March 1, 2002, ready for everyone to enjoy.
This centre has lots of cool facilities. You can find a big sports hall with a special 3G Astroturf pitch, which is great for football. There's also an outdoor 3G Astroturf pitch for five-a-side games. If you like to work out, there's a fitness suite and a dance studio. You can even find a music room and a climbing wall! Outside, there's a "World Trail" with equipment for outdoor exercise.
The centre offers many activities for young people. These include junior activities, children's parties, and special holiday programmes. You can also join fitness classes like aerobics and kickboxing.
The Channel View Centre is also home to the Cardiff Bay Water Activity Centre. Here, you can try out many water-based activities, like kayaking or paddleboarding.
Eastern Leisure Centre: Reopened and Ready
The Eastern Leisure Centre first opened in 1982 in Llanrumney. It serves the south-eastern parts of Cardiff. This centre has a 25-metre swimming pool, perfect for a good swim.
Inside, you'll find a sports hall with space for six badminton courts. There are also five squash courts and a fitness suite. Outside, there's a tarmac pitch for five-a-side football. The centre also has an activity area and a community suite.
For kids, there are junior activities, children's parties, and holiday programmes. You can also try trampolining and gymnastics here. The centre has a cafeteria and vending machines for snacks.
The Eastern Leisure Centre was closed for a while for big improvements. It reopened in Autumn 2016 with new and updated facilities.
Fairwater Leisure Centre: Skate and Swim
The Fairwater Leisure Centre opened in 1983 in Fairwater. It's located in the north-west of the city. This centre is a great spot for many activities.
It has a sports hall with four badminton courts and four squash courts. One of its exciting features is an outdoor skate park! There's also a fitness suite and a 25-metre swimming pool.
Kids can enjoy various activities, including gymnastics, trampolining, and football. The centre also runs special holiday programmes. You can grab a snack from the cafeteria or vending machines.
Llanishen Leisure Centre: Cardiff's Biggest Splash
The Llanishen Leisure Centre is the largest leisure centre in Cardiff. It's located in Llanishen, in the north of the city. This big centre opened in 1987.
It features a fantastic leisure pool with a wave machine, which is super fun! There's a large sports hall with space for six badminton courts. You can also find three squash courts and a fitness suite with a special music system. There's even a mini gym and a snooker room.
The centre offers junior activities, children's parties, and holiday programmes. You can relax at the bar/coffee area or grab a bite at the poolside café. Llanishen Leisure Centre has also made efforts to save energy and help the environment.
Maindy Centre: Cycle and Swim
The Maindy Centre is also known as Maindy Swimming Pool and Cycle Track. It first opened in 1993 in Maindy. In 2005, new facilities were added, including a fitness suite, a dance studio, and a lecture room.
The centre has a 25-metre swimming pool with six lanes. Outside, there's a full-size football pitch and a floodlit 460-metre outdoor velodrome (a track for cycling). There's also an outdoor tarmac pitch for five-a-side games. You can also find a cafeteria for snacks.
Maindy Centre is home to several sports clubs for young people. These include the Maindy Flyers Youth Cycling Club, Maindy Marlins Swimming Club, and Maindy Corries Football Club. It also has a Road Safety Centre, which teaches important lessons about staying safe on the roads.
The cycle track at Maindy was even used for the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games when Cardiff hosted the event!
Pentwyn Leisure Centre: Waves and Slides
The Pentwyn Leisure Centre opened in 1989 in Pentwyn, in the north-east of Cardiff. This centre is known for its exciting leisure pool.
The pool has a slide, waves, and other fun features! Inside, there's a sports hall with four badminton courts and two squash courts. You can also use the fitness suite and an upper activity area.
The centre offers junior activities, children's parties, and holiday programmes. There's a bar/coffee area and a poolside café. In 2009, the centre's swimming pool was even dyed pink for a special fundraising community day!
STAR Centre: Community Hub
The STAR Centre in Splott first opened in 1981. It was taken over by the Council in 2001 and updated. These improvements included a fitness suite and a new lift for people with disabilities. A new library, Splott Library, was also added to the centre.
The facilities include six badminton courts and areas for basketball, netball, and football. There's a fitness suite, a gymnastics area, and a soft play area for younger children. The centre also has meeting rooms and a function room.
You can find children's activities and holiday programmes here. The centre has vending machines for drinks and snacks. The STAR Centre has been a community hub for many years. This venue has now closed and been turned into a medical centre.
Western Leisure Centre: Rebuilt and Modern
The Western Leisure Centre opened in 1979 in Caerau, in the south-west of Cardiff. The centre was completely rebuilt in 2008, costing £5.5 million, to make it modern and new.
It has a large gymnasium/fitness suite with 72 stations, a spinning room, and a dance studio. There's a community room used for martial arts, 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 teaching pool. There's also a small toddler pool with a slide and a snake water squirter, which is great for little ones! You can get snacks from the vending machines and café. The Western Leisure Centre is home to the Western Warriors Swimming Club.
Other Great Facilities
Cardiff International Pool: Olympic-Sized Fun
The Cardiff International Pool is located in the Cardiff International Sports Village. It opened on January 12, 2008. This amazing facility was built through a partnership between Cardiff Council and Parkwood Leisure.
This huge £32 million centre has two main pools. One is an Olympic-standard 50-metre, 10-lane competition swimming pool with seating for 1,000 spectators. This means it's big enough for major swimming events! The other is a 25-metre indoor waterpark. This waterpark has fun flume rides, water slides, a lazy river, and a Jacuzzi.
The centre also has a fitness suite, studios, conference rooms, and a café. It was even built to help support the London 2012 Olympics as a training facility for athletes. This pool replaced the older Empire Pool, which was used in the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games.
Cardiff International Sports Stadium: Home of Athletics
The Cardiff International Sports Stadium is a large facility for many different sports and special events. It can hold up to 4,953 people.
This stadium has top-notch track and field facilities, meeting international standards. It includes areas for throwing events, photo finish rooms, and equipment for announcers. There's also a 50-station fitness suite and two activity zones.
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. You can find a Trim Trail for running and links to Cardiff's parks.
This stadium is a very important place for Welsh athletics. It's also home to the Cardiff City Youth Team, Cardiff City Ladies football club, and the Cardiff Amateur Athletic Club.
