Major outdoor fitness park set to open in Athlone

Photo: Manager of Athlone Regional Sports Centre, Liam Cunningham, pictured in the new fitness park with the half basketball court in the background.

Athlone Regional Sports Centre's vision for their new outdoor fitness park is clear: Manager Liam Cunningham says they want it to become a “hub of activity” for all ages and a community asset in the years ahead.

A first in Ireland, the park which cost just under a million euro to construct could not be launched at a more opportune time, given that the Covid-19 restrictions, and the huge need for people to be active outdoors in terms of mental wellbeing.

Situated on the grounds of the centre and adjacent to the greenway, the outdoor facility boasts an impressive array of features designed to appeal to runners, walkers, families and older people who want to get out and about in a safe space which is free to use.

Explaining what's contained in phase one due to open on September 21, Athlone Regional Sports Centre Manager Liam Cunningham starts with the impressive trails.

“There are two trails in the park, one on the periphery of the grounds that's one and a half kilometres. That's tarmacadam so that it's safe then to use for people in wheelchairs, it's flat for pushing prams or someone who just wants to go for a walk. It's relatively flat to walk or go for a jog on.

“Then that veers off to another area for people who want a more serious challenge with inclines, hills and gradients. That's two and a half kilometres. We made it that distance for people who want to do five kilometres so they can do two laps of it,” he tells the Westmeath Independent on Friday last.

“Then we've tried to create a hub that is suitable for families or individuals who want to get out in the outdoor space. We already had the skate park and the playground so we've added a climbing area, then there's a half basketball court. We hope by the end of the year to have free WIFI available in the park,” Mr Cunningham says, showing the extensive seeding that has taken place as part of the landscaping which will take shape over the coming months.

“On the other side of the climbing area, with the help of various groups we're designing a sensory garden and that's going to be important for people of different abilities or those with intellectual disabilities.

"We've built two five-a-side pitches which are just being finished there at the moment. We've learned from the last number of years where people found the astroturf hard on the joints so what we've done this time is put in a shock pad, premium carpet, and rubber infill,” he details, also a first in Ireland.

Conscious of getting older adults out and exercising, they are also planning pickleball (a type of ball game) courts and petanque which is like French bowls, in addition, there is a picnic area and outdoor gym equipment spread around the amenity.

“What'll you see is that families will arrive together, some might go on the climbing wall, some might go for a walk and the cycleway is just there, and a basketball court so there are different things there to attract in families or people of all ages to get active.”

In tandem with the opening later this month, Athlone Regional Sports Centre has appointed Gary Flannery as its new Head Running Coach, and he will be launching a variety of programmes for walkers, joggers, and runners of all abilities in the coming weeks. These include Runners Reset, Strong Seniors, Can't Run Won't Run, Run For Fun and Advanced Running.

It's also hoped to have a community run on the trail at the weekends and make it a very social space for people in every age group, something that compliments the current indoor centre where people can have a cup of coffee afterwards or join their other programmes.

While the money isn't there to do phase two and three of the park yet, Mr Cunningham is hopeful that will come in the near future.

“What we want to create is a functional training area for teams, and the far side of that, a family obstacle course. What we've done is fenced them off and put in the lights but we have to go and try and get further funding to finish them off. In the meantime we've used the bigger space for pedal karts,” he says, pointing out that over €225,000 from the centre's own coffers has been invested in the project along with a grant from the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme.

The development reflects the community ethos of the centre, Liam, a native of Galway, adds, and was talked about as far as back as 2007/08 as a possible use for the extensive land around the facility. He pays tribute to the hardworking staff for all their hard work and enthusiasm for the project in difficult times.

Excited to see the public come into the park, Mr Cunningham believes the variety of activities on offer will prove popular.