Ponds Forge International Sports Centre is a leisure complex in Sheffield, England. It has an Olympic-sized swimming pool with 2,600 seating capacity, a family and children's pools (50 m Competition pool and 25 m diving pit), water slides amongst other facilities.[1]
History
Ponds Forge was opened in 1991 as a venue for the Summer Universiade, which the city hosted that year. In the 1994 UK Sports Design Awards Ponds Forge was highly commended in the overall category, and for the use of steel in its construction it won the British Steel Award.[2] The name Ponds Forge is borrowed from the steel works that formerly occupied this site and a 7 feet (2.1 m) high anvil has been left in situ next to the building, partly because it was deemed too expensive to move. The River Sheaf runs under the site and flooded the car park on 21 December 1991, shutting the complex for 6 days. Proof of this can be found on platform Five of Sheffield railway station, because the Sheaf also runs under that, and it also flooded at the same time. A piece of debris from "The Flood" is displayed there and the plaque mounted on it has the same date. In the 2000s Ponds Forge was a venue (along with the nearby Don Valley Stadium) for Channel Four's The Games, in which celebrities competed against each other in a wide range of events.[3][4]
The 50 metre pool at Ponds Forge is one of twelve in the United Kingdom built to current FINA standards, and hence is home to many sporting events. The main pool hall is 90 m long by 60 m wide and when the arches for the roof were constructed temporary supports for them were necessary. When these were removed it "settled" 150 mm. It has two movable bulkheads (so it is possible to split the main tank into 2 or 3 individual pools) and the floors at the end quarters can be raised or lowered from surface level down to 2 m depth. In its long course mode with the bulkheads at the extreme ends it has 10 lanes. If used "width ways" up to twenty 25 m lanes are available. A sophisticated ozone water treatment system is employed that results in lower levels of irritants and reduced toxicity compared with traditional methods of treatment. A number of world records have been set in the pool although only one was long course. The latter was in the heats of the European Championships on 3 August 1993 when Károly Güttler of Hungary went 1.00.95 to set a new world mark in the 100 m breaststroke. As well as competition-level swimming, the pool is also used for lessons, diving, kayaking and scuba diving. It is also open to the general public for lane swimming.
Ponds Forge has Europe's deepest diving pool at 5.85 metres.[8] This pool hosted the FINA World Diving Series Championships in April 2011[9] and was home to USA Diving Squad for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.[10] It is also home to the City of Sheffield Water Polo Club, a first division water polo team.
Surf City leisure pool
The "Surf City" leisure pool complex comprises various water-based attractions open for public use:
A leisure pool, which can be used for lane swimming or leisure swimming. At regular intervals a wave machine is activated in this pool.
A lazy river that goes around the outside of the leisure pool.
A smaller children's pool with shallow waters, a sensory wall, fountains and a mini slide.[11]
A leisure pod dedicated for disabled swimmers, equipped with a disabled hoist.[12]
Gym
In 2008 the gym at Ponds Forge had a £3 million refurbishment.[13] It now houses a 130-piece gym, a spin studio, numerous group fitness class studios, a steam room and sauna.
Basketball
Within the complex is the International Sports Hall, which is occasionally used as a basketball venue. The maximum seating capacity of the arena is 1000; until 2006 it was the home venue for the Sheffield Sharks, before they temporarily relocated to the EIS Sheffield, and in 2019 the Sheffield Sharks returned to Ponds Forge as their home venue, until their departure in 2023 to the newly opened Canon Medical Arena, in Attercliffe. Amongst other events it has also hosted several Great Britain international matches, as well as the Semi-finals of the BBL Cup in 2004 and the BBL Trophy in February 2008.
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