This is what Hearts, Hibs and Edinburgh council should have done...

[tazhearts]

http://www.aberdeensportsvillage.com/about/virtual/

 

Something which everyone can benefit from. Very jealous!

[speedbump]

Aberdeen City Council has less money than an Icelandic bank, this will not be happening.

[tazhearts]

It's already been built!

 

Not sure if Aberdeen FC will get to use it or not?

[mitre]

Aberdeen City Council has less money than an Icelandic bank, this will not be happening.

 

It's already happened. I box there 4 times a week unless i've been dreaming the last 5 months.

[tazhearts]

Is this the only full size indoor football pitch in Scotland? I am not aware of any more in existence.

 

Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen should all have at least one full size indoor pitch each.

 

Think of the number of youth / amateur games that it could host. You could fit three games in per evening and 5 or 6 games on Saturday and Sunday.

[The Comedian]

Aberdeen City Council has less money than an Icelandic bank, this will not be happening.

 

It's already been built!

 

Lol

 

 

Looks good.

[johnnythunders]

This was similar to Edinburgh Councils proposal near the end of the Pieman's reign which was to demolish Meadowbank and build a new stadium at Sighthill with Hearts and Hibs as tenents. Hibs kiboshed it with their we don't need to move we're staying at Easter road. It needed the sale of all three stadiums to fund it, meaning the last throw of the dice for the pieman then was Murrayfield

[benny]

http://www.aberdeensportsvillage.com/about/virtual/

 

Something which everyone can benefit from. Very jealous!

 

Looks the part but if the locals do not use it,it will be a waste of money.Has there been anything else like this in Scotland.Is there a demand for this type of venture.

[Pants Shaton]

The football pitch has a 500 seater stand.

 

Just waiting for Oberdeen when Pit-tawdry is sold to Tesco.

[speedbump]

I didn't bother to click the link. I thought it was the community stadium

[chester copperpot]

Is this the only full size indoor football pitch in Scotland? I am not aware of any more in existence. Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen should all have at least one full size indoor pitch each.

 

Think of the number of youth / amateur games that it could host. You could fit three games in per evening and 5 or 6 games on Saturday and Sunday.

 

 

 

Murray park.

[mitre]

Looks the part but if the locals do not use it,it will be a waste of money.Has there been anything else like this in Scotland.Is there a demand for this type of venture.

 

It's already oversubscribed for members. As far as i'm aware theres a waiting list of about 4 months at the moment.

 

It's a joint venture with the University so all the uni sports clubs use it for training purposes, it also runs about 15-20 classes a day as well running cardiac rehab and physiotherapy programmes for the local hospital.

 

It doesn't look like it will be a waste of money and it looks like there is quite a demand for it, thus far anyway.

[Guest King]

I dont see what the big deal is, my local leisure centre is better than that white elephant.

[Sydney]

There's also a full size indoor pitch beside Hampden isnt there?

[The Comedian]

I didn't bother to click the link. I thought it was the community stadium

 

 

[MacDonald Jardine]

I dont see what the big deal is, my local leisure centre is better than that white elephant.

 

Exactly.

Is the OP suggesting Hearts and Hibs should have built a complex without a top class football stadium?

[Homme]

There's also a full size indoor pitch beside Hampden isnt there?

 

Yeah. Toryglen.

 

It's the mutts nuts

[The Don]

When Vlad first took us over he was quoted at the time stating he would like Hearts, Hibs AND Edinburgh Council to enter into a joint stadium/Sporting facilities "Fit for the capital of a country" However the tash immediately through any idea of the two clubs ever ground sharing out the window.

 

Not only Vlad but as far back as even Mercer the plan did the rounds and every time was knocked back by either set of fans for various reasons.

[Ray Winstone]

This is one of the top sports facilities in the country and the synthetic indoor pitch it has is supposed to be one of the best pitches in Europe.

 

If you had seen the University facilities at Butchart you would know that the sports village is on another planet.

 

Unfortunately the Aberdeen Council has near bankrupt itself by investing in the project and there was not enough money left over for the 'Olympic' sized pool that was hoped for.

 

Apparenty they are 'saving up' for it.

[benny]

This is one of the top sports facilities in the country and the synthetic indoor pitch it has is supposed to be one of the best pitches in Europe.

 

If you had seen the University facilities at Butchart you would know that the sports village is on another planet.

 

Unfortunately the Aberdeen Council has near bankrupt itself by investing in the project and there was not enough money left over for the 'Olympic' sized pool that was hoped for.

 

Apparenty they are 'saving up' for it.

 

I suppose Meadowbank and the Commonwealth pool were state of the art at one time but if nobody uses the facilities it will end up rundown and money wasted.

Every town in Scotland has had some sort of sport centre at one time or another,used at first but after the first 6 months you get on them at anytime you want.

[Gershwin]

If you had seen the University facilities at Butchart you would know that the sports village is on another planet.

 

Ah. The mighty Butchart Bowl! We used to play our national Rollerhockey matches there and the other teams used to despise playing there. I loved it myself, and I bet there's no decent r-hockey facilites at the new complex.

[allystrachan]

edinburgh council would in no way be able to afford this.

 

the sighthill venture would have been partly funded by the sale of meadowbank. but after protests from the locals about losing meadowbank and the fall in land prices none of this was possible.

 

so now we are stuck with a closed commonwealth pool, being refurbished for the commonwelth diving events and a meadowbank sports centre which is getting some new changing areas, new flooring and a lick of paint on the walls.

[Someday]

edinburgh council would in no way be able to afford this.

the sighthill venture would have been partly funded by the sale of meadowbank. but after protests from the locals about losing meadowbank and the fall in land prices none of this was possible.

 

so now we are stuck with a closed commonwealth pool, being refurbished for the commonwelth diving events and a meadowbank sports centre which is getting some new changing areas, new flooring and a lick of paint on the walls.

 

Even if the money was there we would never see any improvement to Edinburgh's sporting facilities. The Edinburgh City Council is full of gays, fat boys, whimps who were bullied and lesbians for whom sport is a dirty word, they would like nothing better than to abolish all sport entirely.

[Moriarty]

Aberdeen City Council has less money than an Icelandic bank, this will not be happening.

 

[Munch]

:527:lol you are a funny guy

[number16]

What size are the Hearts and Hibs indoor facilities?

 

I've been told the pitch is Bayern Munich's old one. It's not slow like similar pitches either.

 

The university also have Keith Park with a grass football pitch and a hockey/football astroturf pitch just along the road too.

 

Also, if Aberdeen haven't been training at ASV, I don't know where they've been training cause the playing fields at Gordon Barracks have about 3 weeks of pristine snow lying on them.

[cab13]

There is a new sports village type of thing under construction at Motherwell on the site of the old steel works. It has two full size football pitches (one is indoors with around a five thousand seated spectator area) plus four five a side and two seven a side pitches. There is also other parts for various sports but i cannot remember all the details. i believe some of the facilities are for the commonwealth games.

[cab13]

The Hearts indoor area is probably about 50m square with a high roof. Hibs have good outdoor facilities but their indoor pitch is a bit smaller than at Riccarton but with a very low roof. All their buildings are converted agricultural sheds.

[jamboinglasgow]

Yeah. Toryglen.

 

It's the mutts nuts

 

I agree, it is the sort of facility that should be at least in every city and cover the reigons. They say their is a plan for 5 or 6, I hope they bring it in as it would benefit each areas football and Scottish football as a whole.

 

This facility looks impressive and really benefical to Aberdeen, wish Edinburgh had something like it.

[jamboinglasgow]

There is a new sports village type of thing under construction at Motherwell on the site of the old steel works. It has two full size football pitches (one is indoors with around a five thousand seated spectator area) plus four five a side and two seven a side pitches. There is also other parts for various sports but i cannot remember all the details. i believe some of the facilities are for the commonwealth games.

 

interesting to hear that, good to hear more facilties are popping up. A 5000 seater indoor stadium is an interesting one. Wonder what competitions you could play there. Lets hope the government funds more facitlities around the country.

[wibble]

Britain should have one or more of these places in every town/city.

 

It's a fekkin disgrace that the national lottery has been on the go for 20 years and this hasn't happened. Obviously lottery money is being used to fund projects that should be government funded.

 

These places would become centres of excellence for sport and create brilliant opportunities for football and other sports to take it to the next level. Maybe Britian would stand a chance at the olympics if there were 40 of these places up and down the country.

 

Anyone who puts this sort of project down is clearly a bitter-minded idiot.

[Ray Winstone]

I suppose Meadowbank and the Commonwealth pool were state of the art at one time but if nobody uses the facilities it will end up rundown and money wasted.

Every town in Scotland has had some sort of sport centre at one time or another,used at first but after the first 6 months you get on them at anytime you want.

 

The difference being that the Aberdeen Sports Village has he permanent catchment of the University of Aberdeen student population and sports teams.

 

Any Aberdeen Uni student who joins a gym 9 times of out of 10 will join the sports village.

 

The rugby team uses the indoor facilities for training twice a week and the water-based astro is in constant use by various uni sports teams as well as others.

 

I don't think the Aberdeen Sports Village will every get into the same state as Meadowbank or the Commenwealth pool.

[Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC]

I suppose Meadowbank and the Commonwealth pool were state of the art at one time but if nobody uses the facilities it will end up rundown and money wasted.

Every town in Scotland has had some sort of sport centre at one time or another,used at first but after the first 6 months you get on them at anytime you want.

 

Tbf, Meadowbank is constantly packed with folk doing all sorts of activities. The actual stadium part seems to have been forgotten about but there are plenty indoor areas/astro pitches that are used constantly.

 

Edinburgh's facilities are an absolute joke though. Want a game of fitbaw? Aye that'll be ?50 an hour at a very average astro, please.

[Ray Winstone]

Tbf, Meadowbank is constantly packed with folk doing all sorts of activities. The actual stadium part seems to have been forgotten about but there are plenty indoor areas/astro pitches that are used constantly.

 

Edinburgh's facilities are an absolute joke though. Want a game of fitbaw? Aye that'll be ?50 an hour at a very average astro, please.

 

World of Football is a joke.

 

I mean they are good facilities but the price is absolutely shocking.

[Saint Jambo]

interesting to hear that, good to hear more facilties are popping up. A 5000 seater indoor stadium is an interesting one. Wonder what competitions you could play there. Lets hope the government funds more facitlities around the country.

 

To be fair, these developments aren't just poping up. They are the result of the Government's 'National and Regional Sports Facilities Strategy' and the significant Government and Lottery investment that followed. I believe the sites this developments this now covers are:

> The Aberdeen Sports Village

> The Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility (NB according to the site I looked at, the plan is for 400 seats, not 5000)

> Toryglen

> Scotstoun Leisure Centre

> National Indoor Sports Arena & Velodrome (Glasgow)

> The Peak (Stirling Sports Village)

> Falkirk Westfield

> Royal Commonwealth Pool (Edinburgh - upgrade

 

As part of this programme, there were originally plans for another couple of developments in Edinburgh at Sighthill and Hunter's Hill, but I think these may have been shelved.

[jamboinglasgow]

Tbf, Meadowbank is constantly packed with folk doing all sorts of activities. The actual stadium part seems to have been forgotten about but there are plenty indoor areas/astro pitches that are used constantly.

 

Edinburgh's facilities are an absolute joke though. Want a game of fitbaw? Aye that'll be ?50 an hour at a very average astro, please.

 

It is a sad thing, as you say the internal facilities are decent but outisde is left to fall apart. If they really want to get people behind sport, and develop it so that people can develop then they should build a large facilty possibly just outside the city next to the bypass. Make a place with many pitches for a number of sports, with a good set of indoor facilities. Yes you can still have the sports centers which are important for local sport. But having something that could be reached by public transport to help local sportsmen and women.

 

I also had a look, there is plenty of land next to peffermill, that surely could be incorpareted to create a larger facilty, or possibly you could create two smaller facilties in Edinburgh.

[Ray Winstone]

It is a sad thing, as you say the internal facilities are decent but outisde is left to fall apart. If they really want to get people behind sport, and develop it so that people can develop then they should build a large facilty possibly just outside the city next to the bypass. Make a place with many pitches for a number of sports, with a good set of indoor facilities. Yes you can still have the sports centers which are important for local sport. But having something that could be reached by public transport to help local sportsmen and women.

 

I also had a look, there is plenty of land next to peffermill, that surely could be incorpareted to create a larger facilty, or possibly you could create two smaller facilties in Edinburgh.

 

As an example of how poor Peffermill is:

 

I played hockey over in Holland and the facilities that this still 'non-proffesional' game has over there are streets ahead of anything in this country.

 

Peffermill has 2 water-based astros and some grass pitches. This is one of the main venues for Scottish Hockey.

 

The Kleine Switzerland one of the oldest clubs in Holland had 3 water-based astros and 10 sand astro-turf pitches. All full size.

 

The sports infastructure in this country is nothing short of an embarassment.

[jamboinglasgow]

As an example of how poor Peffermill is:

 

I played hockey over in Holland and the facilities that this still 'non-proffesional' game has over there are streets ahead of anything in this country.

 

Peffermill has 2 water-based astros and some grass pitches. This is one of the main venues for Scottish Hockey.

 

The Kleine Switzerland one of the oldest clubs in Holland had 3 water-based astros and 10 sand astro-turf pitches. All full size.

 

The sports infastructure in this country is nothing short of an embarassment.

 

agreed, sport facilties in Britain have been ignored for many years except when there is a major sports competition, though they are either kept well funded (like the velodrome in Manchester) or are left to rot (like much of Edinburgh's commonwealth facilities.)

 

In Europe every country has many top notch local facilities for people to use. Here we go for the cheap option, or even worse, sell-off any land because councils want to make a quick buck (a real scandel and something that should be taken out of councils hands.)

 

I do think sport is often underestimated in this country. A country that is passionate and involved in sport can have huge effects on other roles. A high level of involvment at all ages in sport can help improve national health leading to reducing the bill to the NHS of obesity, heart problems etc. It could give youths something to do rather than smash places up and thus help combat crime and anti-social behaviour. It can help improve public morale through sporting victories, think of how happy the country was after the olympics. I think its a joke that the cabinet minister whose role is to handle sport also has to handle culture and media, two other huge parts.

 

We need investment in facilties, yes it will be expensive but if done well and a responsible regaler investment to keep it in a suitable condition will save amounts in areas that really cost the taxpayer.

[Saint Jambo]

I think its a joke that the cabinet minister whose role is to handle sport also has to handle culture and media, two other huge parts.

 

Whilst there is only Cabinet level Minister covering this portfolio, there are another 3 Ministers in the DCMS with responsible for smaller areas. Ben Bradshaw MP is the Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport. Gerry Sutcliffe MP is the Minister for Sport.

[davemclaren]

The Hearts indoor area is probably about 50m square with a high roof. Hibs have good outdoor facilities but their indoor pitch is a bit smaller than at Riccarton but with a very low roof. All their buildings are converted agricultural sheds.

 

Best watch out for the snow.

[The Treasurer]

The Hearts indoor area is probably about 50m square with a high roof. Hibs have good outdoor facilities but their indoor pitch is a bit smaller than at Riccarton but with a very low roof. All their buildings are converted agricultural sheds.

 

I heard that was the reason that giraffe Jones left as he kept hitting his head

[smallfaces]

The Hearts indoor area is probably about 50m square with a high roof. Hibs have good outdoor facilities but their indoor pitch is a bit smaller than at Riccarton but with a very low roof. All their buildings are converted agricultural sheds.

 

I did mention to my Hibs friends that it didn't matter about having an indoor facility near Ormiston - the road is frequently closed or dangerous to drive. Meaning the players wouldn't be able to get there safely anyway!

[CBjambo]

Edinburgh Council are so flamin retarded that they would never go for such a worthy scheme... they'd much rather **** up the city and it's inhabitants by building a tramline to the arse end of nowhere... crippling the city financially in the process!

 

God forbid the powers that be in Edinburgh actually do something useful for us... this city is in a mess and the council are haemoraging money at an alarming rate on 'white elephant' schemes with no useful purpose to the majority of the public that live here....

 

... still they'll make the money back in parking fines i suppose.

[sum31uk]

It's been built for my uni but I've yet to use it. Aberdeen Uni has such a state of the art sports complex but can't afford a union. When will they realise that students aren't interest in sport just drinking. haha

[Poseidon]

Is it slap bang on top of where the CA Stadium was? Scored a cracker of a goal there in the only game I played at it. Anyway, looks like a very good development and Edinburgh is crying out for something similar

[MMHearts]

I was over at the pre-season games in Holland a few years ago and the first match of the tour was played at what was effectively a junior stadium. The main pitch had undersoil heating and floodlights and the club also had 4 full size training pitches, 2 grass (also with undersoil heating) and 2 astroturf all floodlit.

We were having a pre match drink in the social club and informed the locals we were impressed with the facilities for a small town/club. They informed us everything was funded by the Dutch Government however there were 2 conditions.

They had to have local initiatives for youth teams starting at under 6s going up to under 18s and provide facilities and coaching for these youngsters.

They had to operate a social club within the premises and the whole club had to be "self-funding" with the income from this.

If these conditions were met, they didn't have to pay for the facilities and they didn'y pay any tax. Everything they earned went into coaching, development and improving their facilities.

This was an initiative from the Dutch Government they explained all over the country to help develop local communities, and football in particular. They went on to say that their club had several players on the books of professional clubs and they appeared very proud about this.

Can you imagine the government in Scotland even proposing something like this or the outcry if they did. At the time we were there, these were better facilities than Hearts were used to using and they were dotted around all over the place.

Anyone wonder why the Dutch are more skillful than us?

[reidyq]

Is it slap bang on top of where the CA Stadium was? Scored a cracker of a goal there in the only game I played at it. Anyway, looks like a very good development and Edinburgh is crying out for something similar

 

Thats exactly where it is. Have to say it is very impressive. I use the gym and play footy there once a week. Much better surface than whats available at Riccarton from what i can remember

[Jam Tarts 1874]

To be fair, these developments aren't just poping up. They are the result of the Government's 'National and Regional Sports Facilities Strategy' and the significant Government and Lottery investment that followed. I believe the sites this developments this now covers are:

> The Aberdeen Sports Village

> The Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility (NB according to the site I looked at, the plan is for 400 seats, not 5000)

> Toryglen

> Scotstoun Leisure Centre

> National Indoor Sports Arena & Velodrome (Glasgow)

> The Peak (Stirling Sports Village)

> Falkirk Westfield

> Royal Commonwealth Pool (Edinburgh - upgrade

 

As part of this programme, there were originally plans for another couple of developments in Edinburgh at Sighthill and Hunter's Hill, but I think these may have been shelved.

 

Only for the benefit of Glasgow's Commonwealth Games.

[robbogoal]

Tbf, Meadowbank is constantly packed with folk doing all sorts of activities. The actual stadium part seems to have been forgotten about but there are plenty indoor areas/astro pitches that are used constantly.

 

Edinburgh's facilities are an absolute joke though. Want a game of fitbaw? Aye that'll be ?50 an hour at a very average astro, please.

 

?40ph at the sprtans academy on their 3g, its a great community facility, ?30 if your a local organisation.

[Caramac]

Even if the money was there we would never see any improvement to Edinburgh's sporting facilities. The Edinburgh City Council is full of gays, fat boys, whimps who were bullied and lesbians for whom sport is a dirty word, they would like nothing better than to abolish all sport entirely.

 

Yet another deranged contribution.