Maindy Centre


Maindy Centre is a cycle track and indoor swimming pool facility in the Maindy area of Cardiff, Wales. The cycle track was used in the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games and the swimming pool was opened in 1993.

Facilities

The outdoor floodlit cycling velodrome was well known for its slight uneveness, caused by subsidence, as the stadium is built on the site of an old tip. There was a six-lane cinder running track inside they cycle track at one point, but this has since been removed and replaced by a mini football pitches and a road section for traffic safety courses (in the middle of the velodrome. There was also extensive seating and covered area with a judges box in the 1960s, on an area which is now a grass bank behind the back straight of the cycle track. At that time, the finish line on the cycle track was located at the opposite side of the cycle track to its current location.
Maindy remains to be used extensively for training and racing and hosts many events such as the Cardiff International Grand Prix. It is used in particular for teaching youngsters to ride. At 460 metres in length and 25 degree bankings, the track is not as steep as the majority of velodromes, and therefore perfect for those new to the sport. The concrete surface is also used for floodlit training sessions during the winter, where road bicycles are used as opposed to track bicycles.
The cycle track has recently been resurfaced, seeing an end to the characteristic red asphalt surface which covered it for several years, funded by the Eddie Smart memorial fund.
The Maindy Flyers Youth Cycling Club is also based at the stadium, and boasts past members such as Geraint Thomas. Riders from the club have gone on to win four of the eight Olympic gold medals won by Welsh sportspeople between 1976 and 2016. The British National Derny Championships were held at the stadium in 2007, local riders and past members of Maindy Flyers, Alex Greenfield and Katie Curtis came second and third respecitvley. Another past members of Maindy Flyers, Matthew Rowe, finished third in the men's championships. Other notable ex-members include Elinor Barker, Luke Rowe and Owain Doull.
The facility also has a 6-lane length swimming pool, which was opened in 1993, and a 5-a-side pitch,
Boxing matches also took place at Maindy Stadium between May 1935 and July 1963.