Why did you choose the national centre?
Scottish Fencing chose the national centre to host our premier event of the year – The Scottish Open Fencing Championships. We needed a large sports hall to fit all the competitors and pistes. With the banked seating and space in the hall it meant we could have a gala layout with plenty of room for spectators and competitors. We are also part of a small but highly engaged sporting industry within Scotland and we want to be good partners with everyone we engage with. The facility speaks for itself but the engagement we had with Angela was the critical factor in us bringing the event to Largs.
There is a lot to offer at the centre. A large events hall with viewing gallery, and the new banked seating is a great addition for sports looking to host spectators." Liz Anderson, Scottish Fencing
Tell us about your overall experience
The centre's team were incredibly helpful. They sourced tables from a local school for our scoring equipment which was extremely supportive. Kit for fencing competitions is bulky and not the easiest to move around and we found access to the hall was ideal. We could park the vans close to the entrance and with the centre’s trolleys could move kit in and out of the hall with relative ease. There is a lot to offer at the centre – a great café for spectators. A large events hall with viewing gallery which meant we could run referee assessments. And the new banked seating is a great addition for sports looking to host spectators. In the past we have found that due to limited public transport some competitors can’t travel to events held on Sundays – even those held in major cities. With affordable on-site accommodation athletes have the option of staying over.
What was a highlight of your visit?
Fencing like so many sports relies on volunteers to run events. At the national centre we knew our volunteers were well catered for. We had pizzas on Friday evening in the Lounge after the hall set up was complete. Packed lunches and meals at night meant that our army of volunteers was well fed. The viewing gallery for the sports hall was beneficial too. We were able to run referee assessments with a space for the organisers to oversee how the event was running. It was beneficial and a unique feature.
Download a PDF version of the Scottish Fencing testimonial.