Most leisure centres in

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

, capital of

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, are owned by

Cardiff Council Cardiff Council, formally the County Council of the City and County of Cardiff () is the governing body for Cardiff, one of the Administrative divisions of Wales, principal areas of Wales. The principal area and its council were established ...

. Since 2016, the running of eight formerly Council-run

leisure centre A leisure centre, sports centre, or recreation centre is a purpose-built building or site, usually owned and provided by the local government authority, where people can engage in a variety of sports and exercise, and keep fit. Typical facilit ...

s has been outsourced to

Greenwich Leisure Limited Greenwich Leisure Ltd (GLL), operating under the brand Better, is a British social enterprise organisation which runs sport and leisure facilities, on behalf of local authorities the UK. It has operated the GLL Sport Foundation since 2007, provid ...

, operating under their 'Better' branding. Channel View Leisure Centre continues to be managed by Cardiff Council, whilst the

Cardiff International Pool Cardiff International Pool () is an Olympic-sized swimming pool built as a public-private funded project; with a partnership between Cardiff Council (land owner), OLLC which is a partnership between Orion Land & Leisure and Explore Investments ...

Cardiff Bay Cardiff Bay (; colloquially "The Bay") is an area and freshwater lake in Cardiff, Wales. The site of a former tidal bay and estuary, it is the river mouth of the River Taff and River Ely, Ely. The body of water was converted into a lake as part ...

is run separately by another private company.

Leisure centres

Channel View Centre

Channel View Centre () reopened on 1 March 2002 after a period of closure from 1997, in Grangetown in the south of the city. Its facilities include a sports hall with 3G Astroturf pitch, outdoor five-a-side 3G Astroturf pitch, fitness suite, dance studio, music room, activities area,

climbing wall A climbing wall is an artificially constructed wall with manufactured grips (or "holds") for the hands and feet. Most walls are located indoors, and climbing on such walls is often termed indoor climbing. Some walls are brick or wooden constr ...

, squash court and a World Trail (outdoor exercise equipment which has the following stations: Step Up, Push Up, Beam Jump, Climbing Wall, Body Curl, Leg Lift, Vault bar and Horizontal Loop Ladder.). Activities include junior activities, children's parties, holiday programmes and fitness classes including aerobics, circuits,

boxercise Boxercise is a high intensity interval training class based on boxing training. It differs from boxing in that boxing is a competitive sport whereas Boxercise includes aspects of boxing training but not sparring or competitive bouts. History The ...

and cardio and kickboxing. The centre is also host to Cardiff Bay Water Activity Centre which offers a wide range of water and land based activities. The centre is served by

Cardiff Bus Cardiff Bus () is the main operator of bus services in Cardiff, Wales and the surrounding area, including Barry and Penarth. The company is wholly owned by Cardiff Council and is one of the few municipal bus companies to remain in council ow ...

service 9A and

Grangetown railway station Grangetown railway station is a railway station serving the Grangetown district of Cardiff, Wales. It is located on the Vale of Glamorgan Line 1 mile (1.5 km) south west of Cardiff Central towards Bridgend via Barry, Penarth and Barry I ...

Eastern Leisure Centre

Eastern Leisure Centre () opened in 1982 in

Llanrumney Llanrumney () is a suburb, community and electoral ward in east Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal ...

, serving south eastern areas of the city. Facilities include a 25m x 12m swimming pool, 6 badminton courts, multi use sports hall, 5 squash courts, fitness suite, outdoor tarmac 5-a-side pitch, activity area, community suite, crèche, junior activities, children's parties, holiday programmes, trampolining and gymnastics, cafeteria and vending machines, and a lounge bar. Cardiff Council is planning to develop the site of the leisure centre to include a new secondary school for the area. The centre is served by

services 49 and 50. Eastern Leisure Centre is currently closed for refurbishment. It is anticipated to reopen in Autumn 2016.

Fairwater Leisure Centre

Fairwater Leisure Centre () opened in 1983 in Fairwater, serving the north west of the city. Its facilities include 4 badminton courts, sports hall, 4 squash courts, outdoor skate park, fitness suite, 25m x 12.5m swimming pool, children's activities, junior activities including gymnastics, trampolining and football, holiday programme, cafteria, vending machines, and a lounge bar. In 2008, a local version of

Britain's Got Talent ''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global '' Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloquial ...

was held at the centre. In February 2010, the leisure centre was targeted by thieves who broke into lockers. The centre is served by

services 33 and 61 and

Danescourt railway station Danescourt railway station is a railway station serving the Danescourt suburb of Cardiff, Wales. The station is situated on the Cardiff City Line north of . The City Line was freight only from its opening (in 1859) until 1987, when British Ra ...

Llanishen Leisure Centre

Llanishen Leisure Centre () is the largest in Cardiff, in

Llanishen Llanishen (, ''llan'' church + ''Isien'' Saint Isan) is a district and community in the north of Cardiff, Wales. Its population as of the 2011 census was 17,417. Llanishen is the home of the former HMRC tax offices, the tallest buildings i ...

in the north of the city. The centre opened in 1987 and has facilities including a leisure pool with wave machine, 6 badminton courts, multi use sports hall, 3 squash courts, fitness suite with cardio theatre music system, mini gym with fitness assessment room, community suite, crèche, junior activities, children's parties, holiday programmes, bar/coffee area, pool side café, snooker room, and a private function room with catering and licensed bar for 250 people. In 2006, Llanishen Leisure Centre installed a pool cover and controls for its pool pumps heating and cooling, resulting in a 20% drop in CO₂ emissions since 2006 and energy savings of more than £30,000 were made in 2008–09. The leisure centre is served by

services 29, 29B and 52A and Ty Glas railway station.

Maindy Centre

Maindy Centre Maindy Centre (, formerly known as Maindy Stadium, now also known as Maindy Pool and Cycle Track) is a velodrome and indoor swimming pool facility in the Maindy area of Cardiff, Wales. The velodrome was used in the 1958 British Empire and Common ...

(), also known as Maindy Swimming Pool and Cycle Track was originally opened in 1993 in

Maindy

Maindy (, meaning ''Sto ...

. In June 2005 a new 56 station fitness Suite, dance studio and lecture room were opened. Its facilities also include a 25m deck level swimming pool (6 lanes), football pitch (full size), floodlit 460m outdoor velodrome, outdoor tarmac 5-a-side pitch, and a cafeteria. The Life Trail (outdoor exercise equipment) has the following stations: Welcome station, Lower Body Warm-Up, Upper Body Warm Up, Torso Stability, Standing Push Up, Forearm Roll and Lower Body Stretch. The site also incorporates the Road Safety Centre which provides various road safety programmes, school crossing patrol training, mature driver refresher courses, driving simulators and external traffic features. Maindy Centre is home to the Maindy Flyers Youth Cycling Club, Maindy Marlins Swimming Club, Maindy Corries Football Club, Maindy Higashi Karate Club, Maindy Triathlon Club and Maindy Rookie Lifesaving Club. The cycle track was used in the

1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games The 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games (Welsh: ''Gemau Ymerodraeth Prydain a'r Gymanwlad'' 1958) were held in Cardiff, Wales, from 18 to 26 July 1958. It was the sixth edition of what would come to be known as the Commonwealth Games, the ...

held in Cardiff. The leisure centre is served by

services 21, 23, 24, 25 and 27.

Pentwyn Leisure Centre

Pentwyn Leisure Centre () opened in 1989 in Pentwyn in the north east of the city. Its facilities include a leisure pool with slide, waves and features, 4 badminton courts, multi use sports hall, 2 squash courts, fitness suite, community suite, an upper activity area, crèche, junior activities, children's parties, holiday programmes, bar/coffee area, poolside café, and suites available for private function hire with catering and licensed bar. In November 2009, the Welsh Open Dodgeball Tournament was held at Pentwyn Leisure Centre. The centre's swimming pool was dyed pink in celebration of a fundraising community day in 2009. The leisure centre is served by

services 51 and 58.

STAR Centre

STAR Centre (), in

Splott Splott () is a district and community in the south of the city of Cardiff, capital of Wales, just east of the city centre. It was built up in the late 19th century on the land of two farms of the same name: Upper Splott and Lower Splott Farms. S ...

first opened in 1981 and was taken over by the Council in 2001 undergoing refurbishment to include a fitness suite, a disabled lift in the foyer and the incorporation of the new Splott Library. Its facilities include six badminton courts, facilities for basketball/netball/football, disabled facilities and changing room, fitness suite, gymnastics, soft play, meeting rooms, function room, children's activities, holiday programmes, vending machines, and a fully licensed bar. Cardiff's Dragon Dolls

roller derby Roller derby is a roller skating contact sport played on an oval track by two teams of five skaters. It is played by approximately 1,250 amateur leaguesA Roller Derby league is synonymous with an individual club or team in other team sports, as ...

team train weekly at the Star centre, where the Cardiff Beer Festival, Wales' biggest beer festival, has previously been held. The leisure centre is served by

service 11. This venue has now closed and been turned into a medical centre.

Western Leisure Centre

Western Leisure Centre () opened in 1979 in Caerau, serving the south west of the city. The centre was rebuilt in 2008 at a cost of £5.5m and could be used for training for the

2012 Olympic Games The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

Its facilities include a 72 station gymnasium/fitness suite, cardio theatre, spinning room, dance studio, training/meeting room, community room (crèche, martial arts, children's parties, holiday programmes), outdoor floodlit multi use games area (for football, basketball and tennis), deck level swimming pool (25 metres x 12.5 metres), teaching swimming pool (13 metres x 7 metres), small beached toddler pool with small slide and snake water squirter, vending machines and café. Western Leisure Centre is home to Western Warriors Swimming Club. In February 2010, the leisure centre was targeted by thieves who broke into lockers. The leisure centre is served by

services 12, 13 and 96.

Other facilities

Cardiff International Pool

(), in the

Cardiff International Sports Village Cardiff International Sports Village () is located in Cardiff Bay in the city of Cardiff, Wales. It is one of the largest regeneration projects currently in the UK and is a public-private funded project. The site currently has a 50-metre (1 ...

, opened on 12 January 2008. It is a public-private funded project, with a partnership between Cardiff Council (land owner) and Parkwood Leisure (operator). Construction of the £32 million facility commenced in April 2006 and includes two pools; an Olympic standard 10-lane competition swimming pool with seating for 1,000 spectators and a 4-lane

indoor waterpark An indoor water park is a type of water park that is located inside a building. An indoor water park has the ability to stay open year-round, as it is not affected by weather conditions. History Some of the first indoor water parks are at Duinr ...

with flume rides, a beach area with

water slide A water slide (also referred to as a flume, water chute, or hydroslide) is a type of Playground slide, slide designed for warm-weather or indoor recreational use at swimming pools or water parks. Water slides differ in their riding method and ...

s, a lazy river and Jacuzzi. The centre also has a fitness suite and studios, conference rooms and a café. It was also built to support the

London 2012 Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

as a training facility. The pool replaces the Olympic size Empire Pool (used in the

, which Cardiff hosted) which was demolished to make way for the Millennium Stadium ready for Cardiff and Wales to host the

1999 Rugby World Cup The 1999 Rugby World Cup () was the fourth Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial international rugby union championship. It was the first Rugby World Cup to be held in the sport's History of rugby union#The professional era, professional era. Four a ...

. The leisure centre is served by

services 9 and 305 and by

Cogan railway station Cogan railway station is a railway station serving Cogan in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. It is on the Vale of Glamorgan Line south of Cardiff Central on the way to Barry Island and Bridgend. Passenger services are operated by Transport for ...

Cardiff International Sports Stadium

Cardiff International Sports Stadium Cardiff International Sports Campus (), is an athletics stadium and playing fields in the Canton area of Cardiff, Wales. The campus opened in 2009 as part of the major Leckwith Development, which included a new football and rugby stadium, Car ...

() is a multi sport and special event facility. It has a capacity of 4,953. Its facilities include a fully certificated international track and field facilities including an international standard external throws area, photo finish rooms and equipment, announcer's room, doping control facilities,

first aid room First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

, sports retail outlet, 50 station staffed fitness suite including a cardio theatre, hospitality suite, 2 activity zones, 2 training rooms, physiotherapist rooms, 7 changing rooms, 100m x 70m inner field, full size artificial training pitch, 2 rugby / football pitches (1 floodlit), Trim trail leading to extensive off-road running with links to Cardiff's parks and the

Taff Trail The Taff Trail () is a Walking in the United Kingdom, walking and cycle path that runs for between Cardiff Bay and Brecon in Wales. It is so named because it follows the course of the River Taff. Along much of its length, it follows the Natio ...

, and wetlands areas within facility grounds. The stadium also is the home of Welsh athletics, Cardiff City Youth Team, Cardiff Bay Harlequins A.F.C., Cardiff City Ladies football club and

Cardiff Amateur Athletic Club Cardiff Amateur Athletic Club (Cardiff AAC) (), is an athletics club in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes at the Cardiff International Sports Stadium and comprises five sections, each specialising in a separate sport: track and field, road run ...

.Cardiff Council: Cardiff International Sports Stadium
/ref> The stadium is served by

service 95 and Ninian Park railway station. There are 180 parking spaces on site and 1,000 spaces adjacent to the stadium.

References

External links

Channel View ProgrammeEastern ProgrammeFairwater ProgrammeLlanishen ProgrammeMaindy ProgrammePentwyn ProgrammeSplott ProgrammeStar Centre ProgrammeWestern Programme
{{Sport in Cardiff Sports venues in Cardiff Tourist attractions in Cardiff Swimming venues in Wales