The Dome Leisure Centre is an arena and leisure centre in

Doncaster Doncaster ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don, it is the administrative centre of the City of Doncaster metropolitan borough, and is the second largest se ...

, England, commonly referred to as ''The Dome'' or ''Doncaster Dome''. It has a

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...

complex, bars, a sports arena that is also used as an event venue and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

's first ever split level

ice skating rink An ice rink (or ice skating rink) is a frozen body of water or an artificial sheet of ice where people can ice skate or play winter sports. Ice rinks are also used for exhibitions, contests and ice shows. The growth and increasing popularity of ...

Background

The Dome as a concept was first conceived in 1985, by Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council under the Standardised Approach to Sports Halls (SASH) programme.The Government and Politics of Sport (RLE Sports Studies) By Barrie Houlihan. Page 110 The aim of the project was to inject capital and confidence into the community of Doncaster. The Dome was to act as a catalyst for the economic and qualitative regeneration of Doncaster – at a time when the economic climate of Doncaster was depressed, the Dome was to herald a new age.The Dome Project. From The Dome Project

Construction

The building was designed by architect Faulkner Brown, and work was underway by November 1986, taking a little under three years for completion with the building officially being declared 'finished' in August 1989. The building was officially opened by

Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William, ...

on 26 November 1989. In total, the project cost £26 million.Facts taken from The Dome website
It was designated as a Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

on 25 October 2023.

Facilities

*The Lagoons comprises seven free form interlinked pools with a children's area and flume water rides. It hosts many activities, including parties and young children's swimming lessons. In 2002, two new rides were introduced, 'The Anaconda' and 'Alligator Attack'. In January 2005 a new feature was unveiled - 'The Amazonian Falls', a double chamber speed slide. Other features include two whirlpool spas, eighteen 'Water Bubble Beds', two artificial geysers, four water cannons, three massage channels, four water gargoyles and a mushroom drench shower. *The Ice Caps is The Dome's split level ice skating rink, featuring two ramps, two mini-rinks on different levels and 1.5 square kilometres of ice. *Fitness Village is the largest fitness facility in the North of England,Facts taken from The Dome website
/ref> and contains over 180 pieces of gym equipment, including weights, and the latest state of art Life Fitness equipment. *The Hall is where a major part of The Dome's events take place. It houses three five-a-side football pitches, as well as twelve badminton courts on the same floor. It also has tiered seating that is kept tidied away near one wall of the Hall. The Sports Hall, as it was then known, was formerly the home venue of the

Doncaster Panthers {{Use British English, date=February 2024 The Doncaster Panthers Basketball Club was a basketball club in Doncaster, England, which existed between 1954 and 1985. Another local team originally called the Doncaster Eagles then changed its name to D ...

men's basketball team. On 12 May 2005 and 20 April 2006, it played host to the

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. Aside from sporting events, The Hall also hosts concerts, with artists that have appeared there including

Judas Priest Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Judas Priest have also been referred to as one of the p ...

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, Feeder, Embrace, Travis,

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and

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. The

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concert at the venue in June 1990 was the debut of Robbie Gladwell and Nick Pynn, and Gladwell continues to play lead guitar in the band as of 2021. Harley played the venue again in November 2015, along with the surviving musicians from

The Best Years of Our Lives ''The Best Years of Our Lives'' (also known as ''Glory for Me'' and ''Home Again'') is a 1946 American drama film directed by William Wyler and starring Myrna Loy, Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, Virginia Mayo and Harold Ru ...

album, rather than the normal 6-piece band.

Past events

File:Scouting For Girls - Doncaster Dome Nov 2008.JPG,

Scouting for Girls Scouting for Girls are an English pop rock band. Their name is a play on the title of the 1908 Scouting handbook ''Scouting for Boys''. The band was formed in 2005 by three childhood friends from London, Roy Stride on vocals, piano and guitar, ...

plays at the Dome 2008. File:Sdino 6.jpg, Dinosaur exhibition at the Dome, March 2009.

References

External links