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.

I have sent 3 of my swimming for the last 2 years. the staff are always so lovely and friendly. I…read moream so pleased with the outstanding service I have always received from Lily the manager of swimming lessons. she always responds back to messages and deals with all my issues in a very prompt manner. Thank you Lily and your team for all the support. Husnara Ali

As council run leisure centres go, this is one of the better ones…read more Living in the city this is the easiest/closest to get to on the train. I get on at Birmingham New Street and Stetchford is just 1 or 2 stops away depending on the train and time. Costing me just £1.60 (With a railcard) The facilities here are the best I've found without having to join an expensive gym/health club. Offering a full 25m pool as well as two smaller pools and of course the "cascades" in a separate and enclosed area. This offers a great space for kids to have fun and for me it means they don't crowd the main pool allowing you to swim lanes in peace. It can get busy from 4-7 so I tend to get there for 8pm and swim an hour which I usually do 80 lengths. This costs me £4.30. The changing rooms and showers are decent and usually pretty clean, no need to sanitise yourself upon exiting. Friends of mine use the gym and the classes, such as RPM, which they praise. You can even top up your tan here, apparently.

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.

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.

Another fine sport venue in Birmingham with plenty of history to be discovered. Edgbaston Priory…read moreClub is dated from 130 years ago but the currently facility is a complex dated from 1964, as a result of the merger between two traditional clubs: Edgbaston Law Tennis Club and Priory Lawn Tennis Club. Edgbaston Priory Club also hosts some important competition such as AEGON Classic and the traditional WTA Tour stop. Placed in a very privileged area of Birmingham, this very modern club has 29 tennis courts, 10 squash courts, indoors and outdoors swimming pools, a fitness centre, bar and restaurant and it's considered one of the largest and most popular racquet and leisure clubs in UK.

Been going here for 11 years. It has just recently (2013) renovated, and is more awesome than ever…read more There are two swimming pools, over 10 squash courts, many tennis courts, two restaurants, and much more. They give lessons of squash, tennis and swimming. The service in priory is just amazing. It's like one big family. It is VERY children-friendly-my son goes there for his swimming lessons on his own- and my whole family go on Sundays to swim in the pool. We also do squash. Once you are a member, you can book out squash courts, tennis courts, get points when you buy food, get deals on lessons, and children even get their own card to buy food with (only if you want them to), get themselves into the place by scanning their card (my daughter feels like a secret agent scanning her card into the machine). Overall, priory is one of the best leisure clubs around Birmingham. I would definitely recommend this place.

I have to admit, sedgemere is pretty much your average social club, but I guess I have a little…read moresoft spot for it; I've been invited to so many parties here. Literally most of my friends who turned 18 had a celebratory event at Sedegmere, so it's one of the very first places where I bought a drink. I do have some very fond memories of this place, and although it's a bit dull, boring and average, I do like it. There's a great stretch of grass at the side of Sedgemere which is perfect for sports games. My school always used to use this area for football matches against other schools. And at the parties I've been to at the venue, this grass ends up being a great place to sit on a cool summers night. Drink selections here are pretty standard, and prices are fairly cheap. Rum and coke comes to £2.50.

The Sutton Coldfield Rugby Club is a good place to do a DISCO at.read more