Irish rugby great Brian O’ Driscoll will officially open a new €900,000 purpose-built DL Kids facility in Dublin, David Lloyd Leisure’s latest investment in its innovative family concept to keep children physically active.
Ex-Lions captain Brian, Ireland’s most prolific try scorer and considered one of the best players in the world, will give a rugby master class to local schoolchildren and cut a ribbon on Wednesday 18 September to mark the opening at David Lloyd Dublin Riverview, Clonskeagh, part of a €1.56m group investment to expand the successful DL Kids model this year.
Brian said: “I am absolutely delighted to be opening DL Kids at David Lloyd Dublin Riverview, which will provide the community with a fantastic facility to encourage youngsters to take part in sport, exercise and creative activities while having tremendous fun!
“I very much look forward to passing on my tips to some young rugby fans and putting them through their paces. I became interested in sport at a young age and recognise how important it is to tap into this enthusiasm and get children interested if we are to encourage healthy habits while nurturing fresh talent.”
Sean Singleton, general manager at David Lloyd Dublin Riverview, said: “We are very excited that Brian O’ Driscoll will be opening our new, state-of-the-art DL Kids centre; he is a great sporting hero and a wonderful role model for our young members whom we know will have an amazing time using this facility, which has been designed especially for them to have a fun time while keeping active.”
DL Kids at David Lloyd Dublin Riverview, open to members and non-members, features three multi-purpose activity rooms, a sports hall, play frame, soft play zone, outdoor area, DL Kids cafebar and lounge, providing children aged 0-11 years with an extensive range of programmes specifically designed to complement the way they learn in pre-school and school time.
Activities will include arts and crafts, creative play, hundreds of types of games and sports coaching, as well as birthday parties, after-school clubs and DL Kids Holiday Active programmes running during the school holidays.
The first purpose-built DL Kids facility opened in the UK at David Lloyd Raynes Park in 2010, and, following its success, the concept was rolled out to Leeds, Finchley, Hampton, Beckenham and Barcelona – the first outside the UK.
David Lloyd Leisure, which receives approximately 3.5 million child visits annually, has invested more than €9m on DL Kids in the UK and Europe over the last four years.
In addition to DL Kids, David Lloyd Leisure offers children structured sports coaching as part of its All Stars programmes, featuring tennis, swimming and gymnastics.
For further information on DL Kids at Dublin Riverview, go to http://www.davidlloyd.ie.