A Perth basketball team has slammed the decision to close Bell’s Sports Centre, leaving a ‘nightmare’ lack of court space in the city.
Perth Phoenix already have nowhere for their over 14s girls team to train and now fear their other squads will struggle to find suitable facilities to practice next season.
Perth and Kinross Council axed Bell’s Sports Centre last week, despite a huge outcry from sports teams and the general public to save the popular facility.
The centre was damaged in storms last October after council workers failed to close nearby floodgates in time.
The local authority and Live Active Leisure admitted they don’t know where they will host affected court sports when Bell’s shuts, or if they can at all.
A short-sighted nightmare
Elma Low, a coach at Perth Phoenix, told The Courier the knock-on effect of closing Bell’s will be huge.
Her team already struggle to find enough courts within the city to train and host games.
She believes the decision will see more teams trying to book less space.
“It’s going to be a bigger fight for next season,” said Elma.
“Now that Bell’s is closed there’s going to be a lot more groups looking for court space.
“It’s a nightmare.
“They are so short-sighted, it’s absolutely scandalous.”
Currently Phoenix need to train in different venues across the city and were recently told their bookings at Perth Academy were no longer valid due to exams.
“We were told to book somewhere else but there was nowhere else,” explained Elma.
“We’re spread over several venues throughout the city for our games and age groups and it’s not cheap.
“The 14+ girls only group currently has nowhere to train and can’t get anywhere.
“It’s aimed at trying to get girls into sport and keep them in sport.”
No consultation
Perth Phoenix say they were not consulted by the local authority or Live Active Leisure about the closure.
It’s a criticism echoed by numerous sports clubs in the city.
The closure has spelled the end for indoor bowling in Perth – a move criticised by Age Scotland for the effect it will have on older players.
It could also mean the UK’s biggest volleyball tournament will disappear from the city after 39 years, an occasion which attracts over 100 teams and 1000 people annually.
The Gannochy Trust, which built Bell’s in 1968, said they were ‘disappointed’ with the council’s decision while Perth and Kinross Sports Council spoke out against the closure.
Despite the public backlash, councillors voted unanimously to shut Bell’s on August 31, putting jobs at risk.
Flooding fears, operational costs and a lack of insurance cover were factors in the decision.
No sports clubs spoken to by The Courier were invited to the council meeting to share their case about the closure.
Lack of court and swimming facilities
The complaints about a lack of available court space in the city comes after The Courier showed Perth to have the worst available leisure swimming hours in cities across Tayside, Fife, Stirling and Inverness.
The concerns raised by Perth Phoenix with regards to court availability have been put forward by Perth City Swim Team about swimming pools.
In January, council officers put forward plans to build a new Perth leisure facility without leisure swimming or ice rink facilities.
These proposals were rejected by councillors with new plans expected to come forward again in August.
The Courier has launched a campaign to Protect Perth Leisure, asking the council to be ambitious and build a sporting facility that meets the needs of the city and all those who play sport.
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