Players and guests help to launch summer of sport at Merry Hill
It was a morning of fun, learning and developing new skills at the launch event of a summer of sport.
The Merry Hill Centre in Brierley Hill was the setting for the launch of Play United, a free-to-attend programme of sporting activities which will take place every day from August 7 until August 18 to mark one year since the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
The event saw members of West Bromwich Albion Blind football club join with Powerchair player David Lewis, Dudley South MP Mike Wood, chief executive of Active Black Country Ian Carey and Merry Hill Centre manager Jonathan Poole to show off their skills and inspire youngsters to give it a try.
The guests at the launch event were able to don a blindfold and try to keep up with the ball, which carries a bell inside to help players know where the game is.
Aimed at all ages, Play United follows the success of the centre’s pop-up stadium in 2022, which saw community organisations and visitors come together to enjoy sport while cheering on the professionals on the big screen.
Play United is being hosted at the centre’s event space on the Lower Mall opposite M&S and Mango between 11am and 3pm each day and centre manager Jonathan Poole said it was inspired not only by the legacy of the Games but also this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup.
He said: "After the success of our 11-day Commonwealth Games inspired programme of activities last year, we wanted to create a lasting legacy of fully inclusive sports activities for the region.
“Much of the country will come together in support of the Lionesses at the FIFA Women’s World Cup this summer, so we want to bring a sense of the celebratory spirit into our centre with activities that everyone in the community can enjoy, regardless of age or ability.
"We’ve launched Play United with a host of free sporting activities and partnering with the sporting talent at West Bromwich Albion and some amazing Midlands-based sporting organisations to make it happen.”
The Play United events consist of a range of activities including seated volleyball, handball, table tennis, adaptive cycles, balance bikes, and the centre's very own pop-up cycle track.
The centre is also offering inflatable football challenges, a blind football experience and target ball games for visitors to test their skills.
Mike Wood was among those trying out the blind football challenge and said it gave him a while new admiration for the players, as well as the whole event being great for the community.
He said: "I think it's great that the centre has put this all together to give more children a taste of sport during the summer holidays, particularly after the success of the Commonwealth Games programme last summer.
"With this, you never know whether it might inspire the next Bradley Wiggins or Jude Bellingham might come from a programme like this could help a youngster to find they've got a real talent and we might have a superstar in our midst.
"I did have a go at the blind football and I have a huge admiration for the players for it as I tried to follow and work out where the ball was."
All the activities at Play United are designed to get everyone active and give them the chance to try different sports, while keeping families entertained over the school holidays.
Visitors can also learn more about maintaining their bikes and get involved in a programme of activities focussed on water safety and enjoying the canals around the Black Country with the Canal & Rivers Trust.
All the information for the exciting sporting events and activities taking place at Merry Hill this summer is available at mymerryhill.co.uk/whats-on
