Meadowbank Sports Centre is open

The new Meadowbank Sports Centre was officially opened at a special ceremony yesterday (Friday 4 November).

The new £47m centre is a state-of-the-art community sports facility built on the site of the original Meadowbank, which closed in December 2017.

The new Meadowbank opened its doors to the public in July this year and features a wide range of enhanced facilities and will support physical activity, sport, health and well-being in Edinburgh for generations to come.

The new venue supports accessible participation and has improved indoor facilities with two multi-sport halls with seating, a gym and three large fitness studios.

In recognising the legacy and heritage of the old Meadowbank and its 50+ years of sporting history a Wall of Honour has been unveiled in the atrium featuring over 45 names.

The wall honours people who have made significant contributions to Meadowbank’s past and its legacy as a sport and community venue. The honourees have been nominated by the public in four categories: Competitive Achievements, Community Service, Professional Service and Special Contribution.

Inductees include sport heroes Chris Hoy, Lynsey Sharp, Allan Wells and Jake Wightman and sport coaches such as gymnastic coach Maggie Bissett and athletics coach Bill Walker.

Cllr Day was joined by Scott Haldane from Edinburgh Leisure and Mel Young from sportscotland to welcome partners, elected members and representatives from sport governing bodies and sports clubs and Wall of Honour inductees.

To coincide with the official opening, Edinburgh Leisure will be celebrating with an open weekend at the centre with free activities available from Friday 4 until Sunday 6 November 2022.

Over the weekend, there will be children’s coaching, gym, fitness classes, racquet sports, and the running track and athletics area will be available for everyone to come and try for free.

Council Leader, Cammy Day, said: I’m delighted that with our partners we have been able to provide this fantastic facility which will offer year-round opportunities for both adults and young people to take part in sport.

“We are committed to encouraging and enabling everyone to become more physically active and enjoy the associated benefits. It’s important for sport to be as accessible as possible for our residents and our investment in fit-for-purpose sports facilities is helping to ensure that as many people as possible can get involved in sport throughout the year.

“The Wall of Honour has been a great way for our citizens to pay a lasting tribute to the Meadowbank legacy and to some outstanding individuals who have made a positive impact on sport in the city and gained national and international recognition for Edinburgh.

“More names will be added to the wall in the future as we continue to honour those who inspire and deserve to be recognised and celebrated for years to come.”

June Peebles, CEO of Edinburgh Leisure said: “The team at Meadowbank has enjoyed welcoming customers, old and new to this amazing new facility since we opened our doors on 19 July and the reaction from customers has been very positive.

“The centre has a large variety of activities on offer, and we have been developing the activity programme in response to demand and customer feedback, ensuring the new Meadowbank Sports Centre establishes itself with a new generation.

“And to coincide with the City of Edinburgh Council’s official opening on 4 November, we are celebrating the occasion by opening the whole venue for free from Friday, 4 to Sunday, 6 November.

“There will be children’s coaching (football and multi-activity), gym, fitness glasses, racquet sports and the running track and athletics area will be available for everyone to come and find out first hand for themselves what all the fuss is about.

“I would encourage everyone to pay us a visit and join in the fun!”

Mel Young, Chair of sportscotland, said: “Meadowbank has long been at the heart of sport and physical activity in the City of Edinburgh and it’s fantastic to see that tradition continuing with the opening of this magnificent new centre.

“At sportscotland we work closely with partners like City of Edinburgh Council and Edinburgh Leisure to ensure that the facilities that we invest in are in the right place and will really meet the long term needs of the community, whether that’s an introduction to sport and physical activity, or supporting the aspirations of some of Scotland’s best athletes.

“This new, inclusive Meadowbank Sports Centre really delivers on that ambition which is why we were delighted to invest £5million of National Lottery funding through our Sports Facilities Fund to support this important project.”