The Central City Roller Girls is a team on the forefront of the global phenomenon of roller derby…read more They're relatively new, but have aggressively pursued greatness and recently were recognized as the #2 team in Europe. They take beginners and train them. They have multiple teams and play all over the UK. Their home base is in Birmingham. Their bouts are high energy and exciting. centralcityrollergirls@blueyonder.co.uk It's interesting to see the number of mothers on the team. One corner of the arena seems to be a playland of mothers and their children.

For my daughters 8th birthday i took her and some friends to watch CCR in a bout. I was nervous…read morethat the kids may get bored.... how wrong i was, to be worrying! Feedback from parents was that their kids won't stop talking about it! I bought each of the girls a lovely pin badge and sticker, from the merch stall (instead of the usual goody bag of tat) and when given them at the end of the day, they all handled them like they'd been given a piece of treasure, which was lovely to see. One mum has reported back to me that her daughter is wearing hers everyday. To top it off, the birthday girl said it was the BEST BIRTHDAY EVER. From my perspective, the day out to watch CCR, went down a treat because the children could watch when and as much as they wanted to yet still play and be typical kids. Not many places they are allowed to do that! As soon as we walked in everyone was very welcoming and friendly, one lady brought colouring sheets of roller derby players and a huge box of crayons over to the kids, whilst another chap brought extra chairs out for us. Right at the end everyone lined up so the derby players could roll past and slap their hands... the hand slaps went down a treat, you'd think the kids hand all just shook hands with royalty! The CCR girls went out of their way to give my youngest (2yr old) mini slaps, kudos from me and the grandparents there it was so cute! There was just a wonderful atmosphere, buzzing, lively, fun, friendly! Even my parents really enjoyed it, now they want to go back to watch more and at first they weren't going to come with us at all! Under 12s were free to get in, I only had to pay for the adults which worked out at about five quid each having bought online in advance. There were cupcakes for sale, a raffle, merch stalls for the different teams and a skate hut stall selling all sorts of bits and bobs for any skaters needs. There were vending machines in the sports centre for buying drinks but we took bottles of juice in and snacks to. I knew my best friend and I would enjoy the day, we have all our outdoor skate gear and so far have managed to wobble up and down the hall lol. Me far more pathetically than she. I need to hurry up and let myself fall, so I can get over the fear! We were both oozing friendly jealousy at the awesomeness of the skating from CCR We have been inspired to get on and learn properly by taking advantage of the lessons offered by CCR, on a Saturday. This really is a sport for any age, wether you be watching on the side lines and cheering the skaters on. Or if you want to strap some skates on your feet and have a go yourself.... Go for it, I promise you won't regret it. Especially within such a lovely environment full of skilled, friendly folks.

Bloss as its affectionately known is the place where I used to play tennis many years ago. It…read morecontains 7 tennis courts, two of which are fairly new but the rest are really ageing. It also has a football pitch and a place to play bowls. There is also a very old little pub attached to it. My memory of it is being kicked off tennis courts by older members who thought they were more important than us. Unfortunately you don't have much choice of where to play tennis so this is one of the best courts in the area unless you can afford David Lloyd which is also nearby. On most days you can play just by turning up and there is no one there so there is little need to book a court. Its a nice place but its really badly managed and unfortunately I can't see it improving in the future.

A fantastically welcoming social and sports club…read more I had been told about the place by a friend and decided to stop in to see what the fuss was about. First impressions; the facilities they have are brilliant. There is a beautiful cricket pitch, several impressive Tennis courts, a stunning bowls green, to name but a few. There is a large function room with its own access to the bar. Upon entering the bar you immediately feel welcomed and pick up the vibes of this homely environment. All of the members were extremely welcoming and more than happy to answer any of my questions. I understand that 'The Bloss' also boasts several highly competitive Hockey teams. Along with a Chess and Petanque league. There is also a Drama section, for any budding thespians! A Darts board, Pool table or (like me!) if you just simply fancy a pint or two then this is a fantastic find, the beer prices are the cheapest in Solihull, easily! This is an easy 5 star review and I will certainly be using this Social/Sports club in the future.

Me and a friend went to Temple Martial Arts as a bit of a giggle after we were handed a flyer in…read moretown. I am so glad we went down now, we were really looked after when we got there and had a fab lesson with Jess! Pretty cool to have a female black belt show you how its done! The classes are lots of fun and we've made tons of friends since we've been there.. but best of all I can fit into my skinny jeans again! :) Would recommend it to everyone (and do to anyone who will listen!!), whether you want to get fit, learn some really cool self defence moves, that actually work! or just for something fun and different to do!

What a gem of a place!…read more The two girls who work there are just so lovely. Always smiling, always happy to help out. Temple really is a refreshing change from all the other "macho, we're gonna kick your head in" places you find in Brum Centre. Simon, the chief instructor is mature, respectful, kind and an awesome tutor. I really cannot, having had bad experiences at other city centre academies, say a bad word about Temple. Well done guys!

If you're looking for a new sport or fun outdoor activity, come check out the Sutton Sailing Club!…read moreEveryone in the club is super friendly and welcoming. Back in February, I was googling for sailing lessons near Birmingham and found about 5 options around the city. I ultimately decided on the Sutton Sailing Club for 3 reasons: walking proximity from my house, price for value, and more sailing hours with more instructors per students during lessons. At £150 for lessons for non-club members, this is a great value. The lessons occur over 4 consecutive Saturdays in April or October from 9AM-4:30PM. Most classes have 12-16 students and students are paired with an instructor. Most learning is spent on the water, with brief breaks for classroom instruction. The lessons include the RYA Level 1 & 2 book and log book for certification. If you'd rather watch, Sunday afternoons the club hold races for their members, which are good fun. The pond offers good views from the park, clubhouse or steakhouse.

My mate took his son here who is 8 years old. They removed him from the team as he has ADHD…read more Parents ganged up on him over a one minor incident which was not investigated or dealt with correctly. Another child in the team where there were incidents of hitting from him nothing was done as the parent is their friend. They discriminate against disabled children. And if your new and not in there MATES group your out. Avoid this club there are better ones around who don't discriminate against disabled children.

the Old Edwardian Sports Club is a good place for a drink and a for a DISCO.read more

Churchill's is a great place for a game of snooker or american pool, it's open 24 hours, has…read morereasonably priced drinks, friendly staff and you can even grab a decent bite to eat there. Oh yeh and they offer free hire of the function room

clean place to go to play snooker. its open27 hours. function room avaliable.read more

Great spin classes and circuit training as well as a full size pool and steam room…read more Gym is never too busy and overlooks the canal which makes it a great place to work out. Membership is a little more expensive than other gyms in the area but worth every penny.