![Ponds Forge](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Ponds_Forge.jpg)
Ponds Forge International Sports Centre is a leisure complex in
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, that contains an Olympic-sized swimming pool with seating for 2,600 spectators, family and children's pools (50 m Competition pool and 25 m diving pit), water slides and other sports facilities.
History
Ponds Forge was opened in 1991 as a venue for the
Summer Universiade
The Universiade is an international multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The name is a portmanteau of the words "University" and "Olympiad".
The Universiade is referred t ...
, 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. The name ''Ponds Forge'' is borrowed from the steel works that formerly occupied this site and a high anvil has been left in situ next to the building, partly because it would have been too expensive to move it. The
River Sheaf
The River Sheaf in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, flows northwards, past Dore, through Abbeydale and north of Heeley. It then passes into a culvert, through which it flows under the centre of Sheffield before joining the River Don. Th ...
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
Sheffield station, formerly ''Pond Street'' and later ''Sheffield Midland'', is a combined railway station and tram stop in Sheffield, England; it is the busiest station in South Yorkshire. Adjacent is Sheffield station/Sheffield Hallam Unive ...
, 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
Don Valley Stadium was a sports stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The venue, which was completed in September 1990, hosted the 1991 World Student Games. It was designed by Sheffield City Council's Design & Building Services and nam ...
) for Channel Four's '
The Games', in which celebrities competed against each other in a wide range of events.
Olympic-sized swimming pool
![Ponds Forge- The 'Theatre of Dreams' (6866303849)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Ponds_Forge-_The_%27Theatre_of_Dreams%27_%286866303849%29.jpg)
The 50 metre pool at Ponds Forge is
one of ten in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
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 the main tank can be split 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
A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...
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
Károly Güttler (born 15 June 1968 in Budapest) is a former breaststroker from Hungary, who represented his native country at four consecutive Olympics, beginning with the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul and ending with the 2000 Summer Olympics ...
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.
Events hosted
The swimming pool hosted the 1993 Men's
European Water Polo Championship
The European Water Polo Championship is a sport competition for national water polo teams, currently held biannually and organized by the Ligue Européenne de Natation (LEN), the governing European aquatics federation. There are both men's and wom ...
(part of the
1993 European Aquatics Championships). It has also hosted the 2006
Underwater Hockey World Championships, in addition to the junior world championships in 2019. The pool is currently used to host the
British Octopush Association
British Octopush Association (BOA) is the governing body for underwater hockey (also known as Octopush) in the United Kingdom (UK).
Organisation
The BOA is an organisation based on individual members rather than on clubs. It is managed by a comm ...
's annual
Nautilus Competition.
Diving pool
Ponds Forge plays host to Europe's deepest
diving
Diving most often refers to:
* Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water
* Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes
Diving or Dive may also refer to:
Sports
* Dive (American football), a ...
pool at 5.85 metres. This pool hosted the FINA World Diving Series Championships in April 2011 and was home to USA Diving Squad for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
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 many water-based attractions open for public use:
*A modern leisure pool, which is used for lane swimming or leisure swimming. At regular intervals a wave machine is activated in this pool.
*A lazy river goes around the outside of the square pool with a reasonably strong current; children can float on rings in this river.
*A smaller children's pool with a waterfall and fountains
*Two large water slides that loop outside and then traverse back in above the leisure pool.
Gym
In 2009 the gym at Ponds Forge had a £3 million refurbishment. 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 can be used as a
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
venue. The maximum
seating capacity
Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...
of the arena is 1,000; until 2006 it was the home venue for the
Sheffield Sharks
The Sheffield Sharks, currently known as "B.Braun Sheffield Sharks" for sponsorship reasons, are a professional basketball team from the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The Sharks play in the British Basketball League and play thei ...
, before they relocated to the
EIS Sheffield. Sheffield Sharks returned to Ponds Forge in 2019 as their home venue. Amongst other events it has also hosted several
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
international matches as well as the Semi-finals of the
BBL Cup
The British Basketball League Cup, often shortened to the BBL Cup, is an annual cup competition for British basketball teams organised by the United Kingdom's top professional league, the British Basketball League. It is one of two peripheral c ...
in 2004 and the
BBL Trophy
The British Basketball League Trophy, often shortened to the BBL Trophy, is an annual cup competition for British basketball teams organised by the United Kingdom's top professional league, the British Basketball League. It is one of two peripher ...
in February 2008.
Location
Ponds Forge is at the south-western side of the traffic
roundabout
A roundabout is a type of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.''The New Shorter Oxford En ...
at
Park Square, close to Sheffield City Centre. It is within five minutes' walking distance of the
bus and rail interchange at
Sheffield railway station
Sheffield station, formerly ''Pond Street'' and later ''Sheffield Midland'', is a combined railway station and tram stop in Sheffield, England; it is the busiest station in South Yorkshire. Adjacent is Sheffield station/Sheffield Hallam Unive ...
and is also served by the
tram
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
stop at
Fitzalan Square/Ponds Forge. The
Sheffield Parkway
The Sheffield Parkway is a major dual carriageway which runs between the City of Sheffield and junction 33 of the M1 in South Yorkshire, England. The road was opened in 1974.
Route
The route runs east of the City, connecting Park Square in ...
dual-carriageway runs directly from Park Square to junction 33 of the
M1 motorway
The M1 motorway connects London to Leeds, where it joins the A1(M) near Aberford, to connect to Newcastle. It was the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the UK; the first motorway in the country was the Preston By-pass, which lat ...
.
See also
*
Sheffield Arena
Sheffield Arena, known for sponsorship purposes as Utilita Arena Sheffield, is a multi-purpose arena located in Sheffield, England. It is situated near Meadowhall and lies between Sheffield city centre and Rotherham town centre.
Opened in 1991 ...
*
Don Valley Stadium
Don Valley Stadium was a sports stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The venue, which was completed in September 1990, hosted the 1991 World Student Games. It was designed by Sheffield City Council's Design & Building Services and nam ...
*
Sheffield City Trust
Sheffield City Trust is a registered charity in the United Kingdom that owns and/or manages twelve entertainment and sports venues in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England.
Charitable objectives
The Trust was established in 1988 with three charit ...
*
List of Olympic-size swimming pools in the United Kingdom
References
External links
Official Website*
{{SheffieldStructures
Sports venues in Sheffield
Sheffield Sharks
Sports venues completed in 1991