Oriam

Oriam is Scotland's national performance centre for sport, based at Heriot-Watt University's Riccarton campus in Edinburgh. The Scottish Rugby Union and the Scottish Football Association use it as a training facility, as do Heart of Midlothian F.C. for first-team training and to run their academy. It is also used by other sports teams, students and members of the public.

History

A review of Scottish football, led by former First Minister of Scotland Henry McLeish, picked up on the lack of facilities in Scotland in the first report published in April 2010.[1] In February 2012, Sport Minister Shona Robison announced that £25 million from the Scottish Government's Young Scots Fund would be put towards a new multi-sports centre which would include a national football academy.[2] Universities, colleges and local authorities were invited to bid.[3] By August 2013 there were three finalists.[4] In September 2013, it was announced that the design by Reiach & Hall was chosen.[5][6] The remaining £9 million towards the cost of building came from sportscotland, Heriot-Watt University and the City of Edinburgh Council.[7]

Construction work began in March 2015.[8] The £33 million facility opened in August 2016. The indoor football pitch is covered by a curved steel frame with a PVC roof,[9] the shape of which has been likened to the trajectory of "the goal which defied physics" which was scored by Brazilian football player Roberto Carlos against France in 1997.[10][11][12] The building won the Future Building section at the 2016 Scottish Design Awards.[13][14]

Sports

The Scottish Rugby Union and the Scottish Football Association have both made long-term commitments to using Oriam ahead of international fixtures.[15] Heart of Midlothian F.C. use the facility to run their academy and for first-team training.[16] The Scottish Handball Association, basketballscotland and Scottish Netball also use the facility.[17] Furthermore, it is used by the recently formed professional women’s team in basketball and handball, both launched in summer 2016.[18] Unlike some elite performance facilities, Oriam will be available to other sports teams, students and members of the public.[19][20] For the 2016–17 season, Hibernian F.C. will play their under-20 fixtures at Oriam.[15]

Facilities

The centre has a FIFA-accredited indoor synthetic 3G pitch which is the largest of its type in Europe.[11][21][22][23][24] Its dimensions of 116 yards by 76 yards are the same size as those of Hampden Park's pitch.[12][15][25][26] At the midpoint of this playing space, the roof is 28m high and there is a 15m playing height at the sides.[15] The space accommodates a viewing area that can seat 500 people.[15] There is also a synthetic pitch outdoors. There are natural surfaces outside too- five grass football pitches and two grass rugby pitches.[12]

Indoors there is a 12-court sports hall, eight squash courts and a four-court sports hall.[27] Other facilities available on the high-performance side of the centre include a HydroWorx 3500i Series hydrotherapy pool with an integrated treadmill, a rehabilitation area and gym area for strength and conditioning.[25]

A 160-bed hotel is to be located on the site, to open in 2017.[12][19]

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See also

Other indoor football facilities in Scotland:

References
  1. "Major report demands changes to Scottish football". BBC News. 23 April 2010.
  2. "Sport Minister Shona Robison announces plans for £25m national sports centre". Daily Record. 21 February 2012. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  3. "Scottish national performance centre for sport to cost £25m". BBC Sport. 21 December 2012.
  4. Waite, Richard (9 August 2013). "Revealed: finalists vying for Scottish national sport centre". Architects' Journal. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  5. Ward, Paul (13 September 2013). "Edinburgh wins £30m National Sports Centre". The Herald. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  6. Donati, Marino (12 September 2013). "Edinburgh wins £30m Scottish national sport centre". Architects' Journal. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  7. "Scotland's £33m world-class sporting centre opens". The Scotsman. 24 August 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  8. "Tennis courts bulldozed for national sports centre". Edinburgh Evening News. 23 March 2015. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  9. "CMS helps deliver Edinburgh's world-class sports performance centre". www.scottishconstructionnow.com. 16 September 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  10. "Edinburgh to host Scotland's elite performance sport centre". BBC Sport. 12 September 2013.
  11. Davidson, Gina (17 February 2016). "Roberto Carlos' physics-defying goal inspires Oriam stadium". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  12. Donnelly, Brian (3 September 2016). "Edinburgh hub for Champions League clubs by 2017". The Herald. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  13. "Pop-up gallery, riverfront college and modern languages classrooms lead SDA winners". www.urbanrealm.com. 26 May 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  14. "Scottish Design Awards 2016: Future building: Oriam". www.scottishdesignawards.com. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  15. Macpherson, Graeme (21 August 2016). "Inside Oriam: The new centre for sporting excellence that removes excuses from the Scotland equation". The Herald. Glasgow. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  16. "Oriam - The jewel in the crown of Scottish sport". Scottish FA. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  17. Maclean, Ian (8 April 2016). "Lynne hopes new Oriam centre will hand sport a massive boost". Cumbernauld News. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  18. "Maureeen McGonigle: Superb new Oriam facility will boost netball and basketball hopes". The National. 6 August 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  19. Dorsey, Kirsty (18 January 2016). "Interview: Catriona McAllister, chief executive of Oriam". The Scotsman. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  20. McCall, Chris (31 March 2016). "Oriam research will benefit Scots athletes and public alike". The Scotsman. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  21. "Heriot Watt University, ORIAM – Pitch 10 indoor". FIFA. Archived from the original on 28 March 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  22. Smith, Andrew (21 August 2016). "Oriam: Sports performance centre to help Scots best – and the rest". The Scotsman. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  23. "Biggest Indoor Pitch in Europe at Oriam, Scotland". www.greenfieldsturf.co.uk (Press release). 23 September 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  24. "Oriam takes shape: A virtual guided tour". www.sportscotland.org.uk (Press release). Sportscotland. 4 May 2016. Archived from the original on 31 October 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  25. Reid, Anna (16 December 2015). "Scotland's new £33m centre of sporting excellence". The National. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  26. McCall, Chris (31 March 2016). "Oriam research will benefit Scots athletes and public alike". The Scotsman. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
  27. Nicolson, Kaye (29 August 2016). "National sports performance centre officially opens". STV News. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
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