Learn to Swim Programme - Foyle Arena

What to Expect

Derry City and Strabane District Council runs a progressive Learn to Swim programme for children at three of its leisure centres: Foyle Arena, Riversdale Leisure Centre and Templemore Sports Complex. The core offer is a 12-week block of lessons that moves children through set stages from water confidence up to stroke technique, topped up in summer with intensive short-course blocks so families who missed a term-time slot can catch up. Foyle Arena’s pool complex includes a main 25m pool and a smaller children’s pool, which the programme uses for the earliest stages before moving swimmers into deeper water.

The council also runs a Rookie Lifesaving Award for children who have completed the core stages and want to build lifesaving skills, plus National Pool Lifeguard Qualification courses for older teenagers. New 12-week blocks and summer intensive weeks are announced through each centre’s own Facebook page rather than a single central calendar, so the practical way to catch enrolment before it fills is to follow Foyle Arena’s page directly.

Good to Know

• Runs at Foyle Arena, Riversdale Leisure Centre and Templemore Sports Complex
• 12-week progressive Learn to Swim blocks plus summer intensive lesson weeks
• Rookie Lifesaving Award and Pool Lifeguard Qualification courses for older children
• Enrolment dates and prices announced on each centre’s Facebook page throughout the year
• Foyle Arena also runs Derry and Strabane’s summer camps and £1 under-18s summer swim sessions on weekdays through August
• Contact Foyle Arena: (028) 7137 6555

Getting There

Foyle Arena is at 2 Limavady Road in Derry, on the Waterside a short drive or bus ride from the city centre, with on-site parking.