The City of Edinburgh Council leader Cammy Day officially opened the Meadowbank Sports Centre and unveiled the Wall of Honour dedicated to people with links to the Meadowbank legacy.
Cllr Day said that the new facility would secure the future for sport in the city for generations.
OPEN WEEKEND
Management want members of the general public to use the facility, and they have an open weekend from Friday 4 November to Sunday 6 November when all activities are free.
Over the weekend, there will be kids’ coaching, gym, fitness classes, racquet sports, and the running track and athletics area available for everyone to come and try for free and to find out first-hand what all the fuss is about.
Donald Goldsmith, Manager at Meadowbank Sports Centre said: “My team and I have been enjoying welcoming customers old and new to these state-of-the-art facilities but there are still lots of people across the city who haven’t had the opportunity to see this fantastic new facility for Edinburgh.
“So, whether it’s for nostalgic reasons or with a view to signing up for membership, please do take the opportunity to pay us a visit. I know you’ll be impressed. We have a fantastic joining offer of just 1p across the weekend too – our Penny Campaign, which is only available until 6th November, so don’t miss out on this fantastic offer to kick start your fitness and wellbeing routine.”
MULTI-MILLION POUND DEVELOPMENT
The new £47 million 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.
Meadowbank has a history of sport going back 100 years including the Commonwealth Games of 1970 and 1986 and has been used by international athletes, clubs and organisations in that time.
It has also hosted concerts for world-known stars plus major sports like basketball and boxing.
The centre has also helped develop athletes who had gone on to represent the country on the world stage and it has helped promote healthy and active lives for citizens.
Cllr Day said it had been a huge challenge to created the new facility, particularly during the pandemic, and it had taken some time to build but he added: “We have produced the best possible sports centre we can.”
Mel Young, chair of sportscotland, said that the centre had been created in partnership with the council and they would continue to work with the council to develop sport in the city.
He added: “Sport is for everybody. Come and see the facility and enjoy it as sport has a critical role to play in the current climate.
“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.”
Scott Haldane, chairman of Edinburgh Leisure, recalled great athletes who have appeared at the stadium including Lachie Stewart, Ian Stewart, Seb now Lord Coe, Steve Cram and Liz Lynch, now Liz McColgan.
He said sport was an integral part of life and that the facility had been well-received by patrons since it opened in mid-July.
He said: “We are trying to encourage people to recognise the benefits of health and well-being and that is why Edinburgh Leisure is offering the chance to try before you buy this weekend
“We are trying to encourage people who are not already members with a programme of in for 1 penny. We are asking people to become a member of Edinburgh Leisure – with its strapline the biggest club in town – so if you want to come along for the cost of 1penny you can become a member of Edinburgh Leisure.
“It is up to you which activities you wish to take on after that.
“We have a full range of facilities we had in the old Meadowbank gym spaces, running track downstairs we have an external running track and suites you can use for dance or any active therapy like that and we are trying to create as modern and flexible space as possible.”
He agreed that leisure recreation and obesity are big issues at the moment.
June Peebles, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Leisure, said that the new facility opened a few months ago and the update has been really encouraging. She said that they had noted a gradual growth and there had been a lot of repeat business with gym, track and football customers.
She said: “Parking is free as long as you are a patron. It will be an issue as Meadowbank is a regional facility which means people from all over the city and outwith will be using it, but there is a bus stop right outside.
“We want to see everybody in the city enjoy the benefits of an active life, not necessarily at Meadowbank but in all the venues in the city.
“We believe we have something for you.”
The photos below show the interior of the new centre and the invited audience who attended this morning’s opening ceremony. Councillors from all parties attended along with local MP, Deidre Brock. She said: “In 2007 I was Culture and Sport Convener at the City of Edinburgh Council. A that time the Labour administration’s idea was to flatten the whole site and sell it off to developers. There was a huge number of objections to that. They relented just before the election, and it is just as well since the east of the city needs to have good sporting facilities as well. The proposal then was to move the facility to Sighthill and produce a facility for elite athletes.We had a working group which took lots of evidence and that found that to stay in place was the best thing to do. To see this fantastic facility in place now – it is a really brilliant asset for the east of Edinburgh.”
