Football legend Denis Law and Olympic champion Jason Gardener MBE - two of the leading sportsmen of their generations - joined the celebrations for the official opening of Aberdeen's world-class Sports Village.

Shona Robison, Minister for Public Health and Sport, and Lord Provost of Aberdeen Peter Stephen also visit the £28 million Aberdeen Sports Village (ASV), which has raised the bar when it comes to sports provision in the north-east of Scotland, catering for needs of elite athletes and community groups alike.

ASV is a joint venture between Aberdeen City Council, the University of Aberdeen and the Scottish Government through its expert advisers on sport, sportscotland. It boasts an unrivalled standard of facilities outwith the Central Belt.

Mr Law, one of the Granite City's most famous sons, unveiled a plaque to commemorate the official opening of Aberdeen Sports Village, which has already proved a hit with users from Aberdeen and beyond.

The former striker, who is the only Scottish player in history to have won the prestigious European Footballer of the Year award, will also meet pupils from his former schools, Kittybrewster Primary and St Machar Academy.


The youngsters were given the opportunity to try out the full-size FIFA-approved pitch - one of the first of its kind in the UK - in a coaching session watched by Mr Law.

Mr Gardener, who won Olympic gold for the 4x100m relay at the 2004 Athens games and is part of a select group of athletes to have broken the 10 second barrier for the 100m, passed on his own expertise to children in the athletics area.

Aberdeen Sports Village provides the best indoor athletics facility in the North of Scotland, with a 135m six-lane running straight, fully-equipped areas for long and triple jump, high jump and pole vault, and a state-of-the-art indoor throws cage for hammer, discuss, shot putt and javelin.

Since it opened its doors in August, more than 200,000 people have made use of the facilities, which also include a large sports hall, four squash courts, fitness suite and performance gym, exercise studios, a crèche and café.

The Sports Village has attracted users of all ages and from all sectors of the community, with 5,000 returning on a daily basis and popular groups such as the Evergreens club for over 60s now well established.

Membership numbers stand at 5,000 and in the recent big-freeze, football clubs - including Aberdeen and Peterhead - and rugby clubs, like Aberdeen Grammar and Ellon, flocked to make use of the superb indoor facilities when the weather put paid to outdoor training.

They were also utilised by Aberdeen boxer Lee McAllister ahead of the defence of his Commonwealth lightweight title fight against Samuel Amaoko, which he took on points.

Mr Law and Mr Gardener addressed an audience of more than 200 invited guests and Mr Law conducted the official opening.

Mr Law said: "I'm very pleased to have been invited to open Aberdeen Sports Village. It's a facility that will encourage sporting development across all age groups and I only wish that I'd had the benefit of such fantastic sporting facilities on my doorstep during my childhood days in Aberdeen.

"I would encourage people of all ages, sports and skill levels to use this tremendous facility and congratulate all involved in bringing this to Aberdeen."

(GK)