New £500k sports park keeping young BMX star on the right track

A 12-year-old aspiring BMX champion says a new urban sports park in County Down is fuelling her Olympic dream.

Amelia, who is competing in national, European and global competitions regularly had to travel to Dublin to practice.

The new facilities in her hometown in Downpatrick means she now spends less time travelling.

Dunleath Park opened last month following £500,000 investment by the Department for Communities and Newry, Mourne and Down Council.

The new urban sports park is open to skateboarders, skaters, BMX riders and scooter users of all skill levels over the age of seven.

Amelia, who recently took part in a competition in County Cork has been practising at the park since it opened.

"The championship takes place all over Ireland for the Nationals, you have to get up really early for practice…if you're good enough you get to go into the final"

Amelia is training with former Olympian Jessica Lee, who represented Hong Kong in the women's keirin (a form of motor-paced cycle racing) event at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Speaking about her approach to racing, she says: "Before I go on, I learn the track. But once I get used to it, I just look at what's ahead.

She hopes to also compete at the Olympics in the future. During her winter break, Amelia plans to join cyclocross races to stay fit.

Dunleath Sports Park in Downpatrick

Dunleath Park features an 80-meter pump track and a 400m² skatepark equipped with ramps, grind rails, and trick elements.

'It's not just for young people'

Phil Campbell says the park is for everyone

Phil Campbell, chairperson of Newry, Mourne and Down district council says the sports park, which is the only one in the borough, attracts a lot of people from outside the area to practice.

"There's a big urban sports uptake within the north and I think that having facilities like this will only encourage more people to enjoy the outside, enjoy more activities and encourage more young people to engage in sports and activities."

Campbell says there are a lot of people similar to his age who've been waiting 30 years for something like this in Downpatrick.

"It's not just a facility for young people; it's for the wider community; we feel that's one of the key successes of it and if we get a few Olympians and a few urban sports champions out of it all the better for that."

The park marks the first project completed under the Downpatrick Regeneration masterplan, which was introduced weeks before the Halloween 2023 floods which devastated much of the town centre.

The park was funded in partnership with the Department of Communities and the Newry, Mourne and Down Council and provides a space for sports enthusiasts of all skill levels.

The project was identified as a priority through the Downpatrick Living High Streets initiative and the Downpatrick Regeneration Working Group.