IN MY VIEW: STEVE BRADLEY - Council must listen to skatepark campaigners

Nobody knows for certain where and when skateboarding began, but it had its roots in California in the 1950s when people wanted a land-based equivalent of the surf board. Skateboarding boomed in popularity in both the 1960s and the 1970s, before dying out each time and being considered a passing fad. It had another popularity surge in the 1990s - but this time its growth was more gradual, and has been sustained ever since.

It started to be taken seriously as a genuine sport when ESPN ran the first ‘X Games’ in 1995, and within a few years skateboarding had become a genuinely mainstream activity – featuring in movies, video games, advertising, and producing internationally famous stars like Tony Hawk and Bam Margera. What was once a fringe activity had achieved mainstream acceptance – even if it still retained its anti-establishment edge in the process.

In 2010 the New York Times put the value of the global skateboarding industry at $5 billion and estimated there were over 11 million skateboarders in the US alone. That’s more than the number who regularly play soccer in America, or rugby around the world. Skateboarding is clearly now big business, but you wouldn’t know that if you visited Derry - as despite our size and regional status, we are unique in Ireland for not offering anywhere for people to skateboard.

Belfast has an excellent outdoor skatepark under the M3 motorway, and Dublin has a variety. Galway, Cork and Limerick all offer free, publicly-provided skateparks, and even smaller towns like Athlone and Tramore have publicly-owned facilities. Yet here in Derry – where we talk a lot about our sporting pedigree and our youthful population – there is nothing provided at all. A privately-run indoor facility used to exist at Springtown (‘Switch Skatepark’), but closed in 2013. So we are unique amongst the larger towns on this island for failing to provide anywhere for people to indulge their passion for skateboarding. Everywhere else I have lived during my life – in England, the US and Holland – has provided space for skateboarding. The only exception has been Derry. Everywhere else gets the need to provide for skateboarding, except it seems Derry.

This may not sound like a big deal - but it’s an important omission in the offering of our city. If you want to kick or hit a ball there are plenty of areas where you can participate in football, basketball, gaelic, rugby, cricket etc – many of which are provided by our council. If you want to ride a bicycle, we’re spending millions on Greenway leisure routes (though how you’re supposed to get to them safely by bike on our roads is another matter). But what if you’re one of the many young people here who aren’t into any of that? What if team sports or long cycle journeys just aren’t your thing?

For those interested in music we again provide strong options – both in schools and in places like the excellent Nerve Centre. But skateboarding is part of an entire sporting and youth sub-culture – with links to music, fashion, art and technology - that just isn’t being catered for within our city. Our current offering of youth activities suggests that we have a very simplistic, one-dimensional view of young people’s interests, and seems a bit old-fashioned and out-of-step.

It’s important to also acknowledge that skateboarding isn’t just for the young. Whilst traditionally considered a teenage pursuit, it’s a sport and activity that anyone can indulge in. And unlike most sports, participation isn’t segregated by age, gender or even ability. All that’s required is a positive attitude and an interest in progressing your abilities.

Those who were due to make their Olympic debut in Tokyo this Summer are all full-time adult skateboarding professionals, male and female, covering a range of ages. Skateboarding may have its strongest appeal amongst young people, but it is by no means restricted to them.

A local skateboarder by the name of Ronan McElroy has started a petition calling on the council to provide a facility here that people like him can use. It’s struck a nerve with many in the city, and has already secured over 3,000 signatures. He is to be applauded for doing something positive to tackle the disappointment he and others feel about the exclusion of skateboarding from the range of activities catered for within Derry. And he should receive the support of everyone who wants our city to be a diverse, involving and creative place which makes space for ALL and better reflects the variety of interests here. This is the skateboarding community’s issue to own and campaign for locally - but they can’t do it without everyone else’s support.

Perhaps the ultimate symbol of what’s wrong with Derry’s current attitude towards skateboarding was provided two weekends ago in Ebrington Square. A group of skateboarders gathered there to make their point about the lack of facilities in our city – and the Police showed up and told them to leave. Skateboarders don’t want to bother anyone or be seen as a nuisance. They just want somewhere to skate. Provide that for them and they won’t need to use places like Ebrington.

In terms of where such a facility could be located, a number of possible areas spring to mind. The impending refurbishment of Templemore Sports Complex could easily incorporate an outdoor skatepark. Bay Road Park could be another possibility - linked into the Greenway being created there. Ideally any facility should be located in a centralised area that is easy to get to and deemed ‘neutral’ to all within our city - which would make Ebrington, Brooke Park or St Columb’s Park strong contenders. Or perhaps instead of a single main skatepark, smaller ones could be provided in different parts of the city – e.g. the former Lisnagelvin Sports Complex and Brandywell Showgrounds. It would be essential for local skateboarders to be involved in the location and design of any facility. Why not think big and seek to create the greatest skatepark in Ireland here - one that will draw people into our city to use ? Options are plentiful, but what appears to be lacking is the will within the Council. Which is why everyone should support this positive campaign, even if you have no interest in skateboarding personally.

Despite Derry’s small size, whenever we provide facilities for people to use – be it in sports, drama or music – we tend to produce a few stars that we can all be proud of. Hopefully we can all look forward to the day when someone which this city has enabled to participate in skateboarding takes their place at a future Olympic Games. It’s a dream which unfortunately we’re currently denying to our young.

Ronan McElroy’s skatepark petition can be viewed here : www.ipetitions.com/petition/derry-skatepark

*Steve Bradley is a commentator and urban regeneration consultant from Derry. He can be followed on Twitter at @Bradley_Steve