Antrim Forum Leisure Centre

checking up on other Belfast council run leisure centers prices , Antrim forum is by far the dearest ,
plus  full members in other centers do not have to pay extra for spin/kettle bells etc-etc
plus on Sunday all other leisure centers open earlier  2.00pm on Sunday is  a ridiculous time to open
even Ballymena opens earlier  so get into the 21st century

Not great regarding the junior pool, or rather the staff!
Went with a 3yr old & 6 yr old – couple of other small children there with a parent each and we were all basically stuck at one end of the junior pool because there were 3 teenagers engaged in horseplay, which could only be described as agressive at times. When I was walking my 3 yr round, I had to ask them to stop due to the splashing and high spirits, which is grand, but should really have taken place in the main pool as it was upsetting and potentially dangerous to small children. When we complained to the lifeguard, he replied that it was a swimming pool after all and he didn’t see anything wrong! Despite the fact, on one occassion even the teenage girl asked her two male companions to stop being so physically aggressive with each other, (fighting under water etc), plus another time, a boy having to apologise to me when I was holding my 3yr old!

What a shame, this make over that the spa had could have really lifted this place, instead it is now overcrowded a lot of the time. The gym is rubbish, the equipment is old and not very good. the step machines and treadmills feel like they are falling apart. They have fitness classes right in the middle of the gym area, which is off putting if you are just trying to get a bit of quiet exercising.
The pool is terribly oversubscribed, always there seems to be clubs and children lessons going on which shorten the time it is available to ordinary swimmers. Coupled with this you get clumps of people at either ends not really swimming at all but messing about, people swimming across lane swimmers and all through this the staff do not lift a finger to exercise any control at all.
The spa is lovely, though again there is no control by the staff, so you get people leaving their paper cups in the sauna and steam room and people moving between the various activities without taking a shower (imagine sitting in your own sweat for 15 minutes then jumping in to a warm water Jacuzzi or small plunge pool, everyone else then benefits form the product of your pores…yumm!).
The showers in the changing rooms are also for nothing, they last less than ten seconds per press and are weak.

All in all its not great when, with just a little more investment (separate training pool or fun pool, new gym equipment, better designed changing rooms) it could be a really brilliant public sports area.

Nice enough place to go and staff are pleasant but machines are old and mostly bodged together with tape. All machines have button difficulties so you cant really concentrate on doing a proper workout as your to busy pushing so hard on the buttons that your thump or fingers go white!!

Joined and lasted 2 weeks before I went to Fitness First in Ballymena where it was light years ahead for the same price. Yes I have commuting there but my work commitments reduces the travelling plus I am a member of any Fitness First centre now.

Only a radical overhaul with brand new Life Fitness machines will make me join the Forum again.

The forum in antrim in great, also there are plenty of helpfull staff to help out with what ever is needed, My only gripe is the price of it. An Accident has left me with pain in my sides and left upper leg due to this it is unfortunate that i am unable to work any more and thus am in reciept of sickness benefit, wich amounts to no more than £100 pounds every 2 weeks, And antrim forum wants to have £30 of that for them selves and i cannot pay this any more as i am not working and have to unfortunatly quit the gym. I do need it for the excersice and to keep fit but i cannot afford these payments to them. I have spoken with james potts at lenght about this situation and he has assured me that they do not make concessions for Any 1 the price is the same for all. Due to this it saddens me to say a good buy to the friends i have met in the forum as i will miss u all dearly, my heartfelt thanks, Anonymous

Really good leisure centre with brilliant gym and swimming pools. Very friendly staff!

Could do with more private changing rooms though!

This is a great leisure centre and teh swimming pool is great for our little girl and her cousins learning to swim the pool is warm enough and its not overly crowded so they arent getting pushes around by bigger kids. There are also swimming lessons for babys through the week that mums or dads or grandparents can take their child too to help them learn to swim get used to the water and mix with other children in the pool.
Antrim forum also has lots of other activities to take part in and all reasonably priced and it is much larger than you might expect from a relitivly small town leisure centre. There is also a soft play area which is ideal to take little ones too they love it and burn off lots of energy. Also easy to get to by bus or walking or car.

If you want your kids to take swimming lessons then this is a good place to head for. The junior pool area is ideal for those first lessons and the parents/carers can sit behind a little wall area and keep an eye on what’s happening. My biggest concern, though, and something that you need to watch out for, is access from the communal changing area to poolside. It is straight out onto the adult swimming pool, so hold onto little ones’ hands. Helpful instructors and small groups make learning fun.

I think that the antirm forum leisure centre is really great. The centre has recently been done up and the facilities offered are now more extensive than ever. The forum has a bowling alley and soft play area. It also offers lots of different classes and activities. The gym has also been done up and is now only open to members only. The centre is located within walking distance from the town centre and has a lovely coffee shop if the rest is too much for you. I would recommend that everyone visit the forum to see what it has to offer.

The antrim forum is a great leisure centre. The swimming pool is great for getting fit and if you time it so you avoid the schoolkids and afterschool crowd you can have a nice peaceful swim. The changing rooms are a little dated and drab though and could do with some updating. The fitness suite on the top floor is brand new and has all the weights and equipment you’ll need, The changing rooms and showers are lovely and the staff are really helpful. there is is a card wipe entry system as well so you need to be a member to enter it. If you join the fitness suite you get access to the swimming pool for free so it can work out great value if you go quite often.

Antrim forum has had a make over in the last few years and now includes a bowling ally to its growing list of activites, Staff are very knowledgable and friendly and there are many different classes you can join wether it be swimming, gym, martial arts, trampoline, dance, keep fit, indoor football, basketball or lots more. A must visit if you are local or touring the area as its within walking distance of the local caravan/camping park.