The A-Z of local sport
Friend of BC Sam Parton has recently launched an tool called Matchtea.com, designed to help people find and rate sports groups and facilities near them and then book online.
To demonstrate its awesome power, he has used it to produce this A-Z of local sports options - some of which we've featured in the past, others of which we'd never heard:
A – Athletics. Were
you the person who came last at school and vowed never to do athletics again?
Well dust off your spikes and head down to the Ladywell
Arena, Brockley’s answer to the Olympic stadium. There are a handful of
running clubs to join and it’s more social than the gym.
B– Badminton.
Popular in Asia and one of the fastest racquet sports, badminton is
surprisingly tiring and good for your fitness. Head down to the Haberdashers
Sports hall, St Asaph Road every Thursday at 20:00. Further info here.
C–Cycling. One of
the fastest growing sports in London, increasingly safe and it’s good for you
(and the environment), why not get a bike? Ladywell Village Cycles and Brockley
Bikes will kit you out, the TFL planner can
help you find your route and the government’s Cycle Scheme will even make it tax
efficient.
D–Dodgeball.
Modestly named ‘The Awful Dodgers’ are always looking for players for their
fledgling dodgeball team, although they tend to play at London Bridge. Details here.
E– Equestrian.
Dulwich Riding School is the nearest riding centre to Brockley. It offers
riding lessons for adults & children and perhaps most exciting of all - ‘Own a pony day’
F– Football. For
the kids, try ‘Little
Kickers’ on 020 7252 1185 who hold weekly football coaching for children at
Haberdasher’s School, St Asaphs Road.
G–Golf. Feeling
inspired by the Ryder Cup? Though a 20 minute drive from Brockley, Beckenham
Place Park has a public 18 hole golf
course - just turn up and play.
H– Hockey.
Suitable for both genders, the nearest hockey pitches are at the King’s
College Sports Ground on Brockley Rise, where access is available to the
community when not in use. King’s
and Alleyn’s Hockey Club train there regularly.
I – Ice Skating.
Hilly Fields created a ‘synthetic ice rink’ in November
2011, we’ll keep you posted if this ever comes back.
J– Jogging. It
has to be Parkrun,
a free weekly timed 5k run, starting at Hilly Fields every Saturday at 9am with
coffee afterwards at Pistachios. To take part, you just need to quickly
register in advance - event
details here.
K – Karate. This
is a great way to get your kids trained in self-defence. Try TKI
Shotokan Karate, with karate classes around the Beckenham and Bromley area.
L–Latin Dancing.
You have to head to the Rivoli
Ballroom on Brockley Road on the first Saturday and Sunday of each month.
Latin and ballroom dancing are on tap with an added twist of salsa and a pinch
of line dancing. All abilities are welcome.
M – Martial Arts.
New Cross Martial Arts offers Judo in New Crossand
the Ackroyd
Community Centre has ‘Shu-ho Ju-Jitsu’.
N– Netball.
Adored by women, never understood by men, there are netball courts (and
community teams) at the King’s
College Sports Ground on Brockley Rise.
O–OAP Exercise
Classes. Seated exercises for the elderly every Tuesday from 12.15
- 1pm in the Ackroyd Community Centre Main Hall, SE23 1DL.
P– Pilates. Aptly
named ‘I Love Pilates’
holds classes at the St Mary’s Centre on Ladywell Road, “combining our passion
for life and wellbeing”.
Q– Quad Roller Skating–Telegraph
Hill has a free skate
park and if you don’t fancy the ramps, just skate around the park. Be
careful not to cramp everyone’s style though.
R –Rock-climbing
– Although not strictly on ‘rock’, the new Glass
Mill Leisure Centre at Loampit Vale (opening in Spring 2013) will have an
indoor climbing wall.
S–Swimming – Head
to Forest
Hill Pools which was recently(ish) revamped. Coaching is available for kids and lane
sessions are available for adults.
T– Tennis – Fancy
yourself as the next Greg Rusedski or Jo Durie? Hilly
Fields and Telegraph
Hill are your best bets, with the former offering slightly better courts
out of the two.
U–Unfound – We
genuinely couldn’t find a U, nothing, nada, rien. Unicycling, unihockey and
underwater hockey proved fruitless sadly.
V – Vaulting –
Available at the Ladywell Gymastics Club at Belingham Leisure Centre, good for kids
of all ages.
W –Workout – Open gym offers outdoor workouts in
Hilly Fields on Mon, Wed and Sat for around £10/class saying “you’ll feel
energised and very pleased with yourself” – perfect.
X – X-training -
An excellent form of cardio-vascular training (and because ‘x’ is a hard
one...) your best bets are Goldsmiths
Gym in New Cross and Dulwich
Leisure Centre
Y – Yoga – Celebrity
fans include Roy Keane and Ryan Giggs. It’s surprisingly tough and incredibly
good for your posture. Book a yoga class in Ladywell through Kara
Grant – email: kara@karagrant.com
Z – Zumba–This
sport originates from Brazil and provides the happy as well as sweaty factor. We
highly recommend heading down to St Hilda’s Church Hall, Brockley Road, Crofton
Park every Thursday at 8pm, it’s fun, social and Brazilian, click here
for further information.
25 comments:
Any football for adults?
When I went to brockley bikes, I was disappointed. They were quite rude and patronising.
Pilates is great if you have back trouble, did about ten sesions last year in Greenwich. I can now touch my toes.
On SECentral there is a thread for ThreeLegged Football, not tied to each other but three teams play in the same game. No idea how it works but sounds fun.
Lewisham lost its rugby club years ago. Many of the Lewisham players decamped to Charlton Park, now based in Kidbrooke. It's a little less snobby than Blackheath. Anyone who fancied a game would be welcome there.
The first XV are at home on Saturday and there's a vice-president's lunch with many of us in blazers that make us look like sticks of rock.
Paralympic GB wheelchair rugby ace Andy Barrow will be there, as a long-standing member of the club.
Why was 'Dodgeball' selected?
The Brockley Bikes team are a bit on the gruff side, but they are actually really helpful, and most importantly, know their stuff.
An alternative Equestrian venue in the opposite direction is New Lodge in Mottingham Lane, SE9 4RW. (On the right hand side of Mottingham Lane as you go South, not to be confused with Mottingham Farm, a little bit further along on the left.) Possibly a mile or so further away (depends on where in Greater Brockley you are starting from) but I would whole-heartedly recommend them.
Their website emphasises their RDA credentials, but they offer open classes at the weekends. Careful tutorage in the sand school until you're eventually promoted to the experienced rides that go out in the adjoining fields. It is amazing how rural the surroundings are so close into central London.
In the school holidays there are "Pony Days" where children get up close and personal, learning to groom the ponies and having fun mini-gymkhana events.
There are also options to work with them volunteering - leaders are needed for much of the schooling.
In summary, check them out as well as Dulwich if you live in Brockley and have a young child wanting to learn to ride. (And be prepared for Sunday mornings never to be the same again...)
Dodgeball has moved to Shoreditch/ Old Street on a Thursday night.
No real sporting skill is required to have a go, it's competitive but with a focus more on the bar (also open during proceedings) and the social side of the game.
It is essentially the same as the film but with fewer wrenches and blindfolds.
The majority of the squad live in the Greater Brockley area and the Tshirts are sponsored by the "I broccoli Brockley" logo so it definitely counts as a local team.
We're always open to new recruits...
I just checked with my postcode and it cannot find the nearest pool which is Ladywell.
@Max - well it's still in beta mode, with plenty of gaps in the data, but I will insist he fixes that gap.
No hurry, the more people use Forest Hill the quieter Ladywell is;)
Selfish but true.
Any S for squash or C for Cricket in the area?
Boxing, Kickboxing... in Hither Green
http://optimallifefitness.com/uncategorized/trojans-fight-club/
Thanks for mentioning parkrun. Seven weeks in and we get around 50 people each week. Some run round super-fast, others (like me) take a more leisurely approach. All welcome!
S for squash at the bridge leisure centre in Bellingham & at Crystal Palace.
C for Cricket on Hilly Fields.
also T for Triathlon with Crystal Palace Triathletes.
There's a guy who unicycles in Hilly Fields.
Maybe he needs to start holding lessons!
@max thanks for the feedback re Brockley data. We're updating this now so expect some updates shortly. Thanks again! The Matchtea Team
@ Max A bit nearer - Kickboxing in the Telegraph Hill Centre Friday evenings.
And C for Croquet - there are three lawns at the Dulwich Sports Club which also accomodates for cricket, hockey, squash and tennis - and obviously has a bar. (and a Bonfire and Firework Display with barbecue and mulled wine on 3rd November). Unfortunately it's a pig to get to by public transport.
But great job, Matchtea.
Yes, great initiative indeed.
I didn't know Latin dancing is a sport. will it be at the next olympics? i suppose it's in brazil next time around so it could be.
Well, in the absence of a local Lacrosse team...
I'm planning on coming along tomorrow, good to hear there's a range of abilities!
Lewisham Cyclists organise rides - and co-ordinate with other local groups. See http://lewishamcyclists.co.uk/
Nick, the large 'No Cycling' warnings in the Lower Park should provide a bit of a clue about whether skating / rollerblading / roller-skating / etc is permitted in Telegraph Hill's Lower Park outside of the Skate Park.
If you are wondering why those warnings are there, it is worth finding out about the child who died in the park back in 1990 while on a BMX.
Alternatively, talk to some of the local parents of young children who have already been clattered into by kids and teens zooming down the high incline slope, at speeds of around 20 mph.
Wish there was some local u for ultimate frisbee.
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