1 Pound Summer Scheme - Derry and Strabane Leisure Centres

What to Expect

Derry City and Strabane District Council is running a £1 summer scheme across six of its leisure centres, letting anyone under 18 drop in for a single session of swimming or court-based sport for a pound, right through the school summer holidays. It covers Foyle Arena, Brooke Park Leisure Centre, Derg Valley Leisure Centre, Melvin Sports Complex, Riversdale Leisure Centre and Templemore Sports Complex, so most families in the district have a participating centre within reach rather than only Foyle Arena.

Activities on offer include swimming, tennis, badminton, five-a-side football, table tennis, basketball and squash, with some pitch activities also included subject to terms and conditions at each centre. It runs Monday to Friday only, daytime through until 5pm, and there is no advance booking: sessions have to be booked on the day itself at the centre, so it works best as a same-day decision rather than something to plan a week ahead. It runs alongside the council’s separate ticketed Summer Camps and Learn to Swim programmes at the same centres.

Good to Know

• Under-18s, £1 per session
• Monday to Friday only, sessions available until 5pm, runs 1 July to 31 August 2026
• Covers swimming, tennis, badminton, five-a-side football, table tennis, basketball and squash (pitch activities also available, terms apply)
• Book on the day at the centre; no advance booking
• Participating centres: Foyle Arena, Brooke Park, Derg Valley, Melvin Sports Complex, Riversdale, Templemore Sports Complex

Getting There

Foyle Arena is at 2 Limavady Road on Derry’s Waterside; the other five participating centres are spread across Derry and Strabane, so check derrystrabane.com for the nearest one.