The major refurbishment of the Dick McTaggart sports hall will provide a home for gymnasts at every level from absolute beginners to the region's best talent, they claimed.

Shona Robison, the Scottish Minister for Public Health and Sport, believes the facility will also create a tangible legacy from Glasgow 2014.

"Gymnastics is a fantastically popular sport in Tayside and we want to capture that enthusiasm by ensuring that our local talent has access to quality facilities and give them the best opportunity to develop their talent further - particularly in the build-up to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games," said Robison.

"This facility will not only help increase participation, from those just developing an interest in the sport to the elite level, it will also improve performance and deliver a lasting legacy from the 2014 Games.

"This centre will be a superb addition to leisure facilities in Dundee.

"As well as the gymnastics there will also be excellent family-orientated fun activities on offer with everything from dancing to cheerleading to trampolining for those in Dundee and the wider community to try something new and get active."


Gymnastics is a priority sport for Dundee, where participation levels are high, but a lack of suitable facilities limited club development.

The new centre will provide two sprung-floor exercise areas, a wide range of gymnastic apparatus, a dance studio, changing rooms and a café and will allow clubs to offer more disciplines to more young people, therefore increasing participation in the sport.

Louise Martin, the chair of sportscotland and vice-chair of the Glasgow 2012 Organising Committee, said: "This new centre in Dundee is hugely important for the sport of gymnastics and is another exciting development in the growing network of quality sports facilities across Scotland.

"Our investment is only part of the picture.

"We worked closely with our partners in Dundee City Council and Scottish Gymnastics to develop plans for a centre that really would meet the needs of both club and community.

"What will be created here in Dundee will provide fantastic opportunities for people to try a whole range of fun activities as part of an active and healthy lifestyle while giving the region's talented gymnasts the space and equipment they need to reach their full potential."

Caitriona O'Shea, chief executive of Scottish Gymnastics, said: "This is a fantastic development for the sport of gymnastics and the local community in both Dundee and the Tayside and Fife region.

"With gymnastics being a key fundamental sport, we are thrilled that we can now provide a complete gymnastics pathway in Dundee from early years participation right the way through to performance level gymnastics.

"The joint funding of the project by sportscotland and Dundee City Council is testament to the huge demand for gymnastics in the Dundee area and recognition of the contribution that gymnastics makes to local communities."

The new centre will also look to build on interest generated by the hit television series "Glee" by catering for dance clubs, trampolining and cheerleading squads, which are all activities with huge participation potential.

The regional centre has also been identified as a coaching hub to support the development of young coaches in partnership with clubs, the region's sports development teams and Active Schools.

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