We are counting down the days until our first Grampian Pickleball Festival – Celebrating 5 years of the club’s foundation.
Please read this document to ensure you have all the information required for a great day of pickleball.
As guests of Grampian Pickleball Club at Aberdeen Sport Village your safety is important to us. We know it’s highly unlikely that Fire Exits will be required on the day. However, please familiarise yourself with where they are in the Sports Halls area. Also, check the broader complex if you choose to wander.
We also know that you’ll be giving your all on the court and that can cause the occasional injury. FIRST AID is available on the venue by contacting any member of ASV staff. Closer point of contact to staff to the sports hall is the main reception of the building. Staff is always walking around the venue.
A couple of court safety asks.
- Call “BALL”. Find your voice and shout loudly if a Ball strays onto an adjacent court so that play can stop immediately, and,
- Be mindful of running onto other courts when chasing down a shot and of hindering people on baselines when walking to/from courts.
The Cafe is located to your right when you enter the Aberdeen Sports Village building. It is situated on the ground floor (floor 1). The Cafe offers a wide selection of healthy meals, snacks, or drinks. Opening hours on Saturdays are: 9.00am – 5.00pm
There is also another cafe located in the Aquatics Centre area.
ABERDEEN SPORTS VILLAGE COMPLEX LOCATION
Full address: Linksfield Rd, Aberdeen AB24 5RU
Aberdeen Sports Village – Google Maps
The complex includes the Sports Centre and Aquatics Centre. The Grampian Pickleball Festival will be hold at the Sports Centre.
GETTING TO THE ABERDEEN SPORTS VILLAGE COMPLEX
The complex is a short journey in bus from Aberdeen city centre bus and train station. It is located two miles from Aberdeen’s train station and the Union Square bus station.
From Union Street (city centre main thoroughfare), the numbers 1 and 2 travel east along King Street and pass ASV. Both take you just a few minutes from the main entrance (ride from Train/Bus station is about 20 min).
ABERDEEN SPORTS VILLAGE COMPLEX PARKING ON THE DAY
There is plenty of car parking at ASV, with 4 large car parks free of charge.
We recommend using car parks 1 and 2 to access the Sports Centre. Car parks 3 and 4 are mainly for the Aquatics Centre but you can park there too. There is a raised walkway between the two centres.
There are also plenty of space for bicycle storage available in car parks 1 – 3.
There is also options to on street parking around the complex.
Please note that, in addition to the Pickleball Festival, ASV will also be hosting a football match and a swimming event on the same day, alongside their normal operations. This may have an impact on parking availability.
FINDING YOUR WAY AROUND ABERDEEN SPORTS VILLAGE
Access to those attending the event (players and spectators) will be via the main reception and the team will support getting everyone access through the gates.
On arrival from 9:15 am (after getting access through the entrance gates) please make your way to the GPC Festival Registration Desk located in the meeting room across the Sports Hall Gallery, where you will be given an ID with your name to stick on your t-shirt and a magnetic sticker with your name and level of play.
Once registered you can go to the Order of Play area (located at Sports Hall Viewing/Gallery Area) where you can give the magnet sticker to the volunteers for you to start enjoying your games day.
On the Ground Floor (Floor 1/ one) you will find:
- ASV main reception and entry gates.
- Festival registration desk – located in the meeting room across the Sports Hall Gallery once you get access through the gates. This area will work also as the Festival Office in case you need any help on the day.
- Cafeteria/ The Cafe
- Spectators/ Sports hall viewing area – gallery
- Order of Play Board area
- Changing Rooms #5 & 6/Toilets. Showers and hairs dryers available.
- Lockers – (in the hall and inside changing rooms #5 & 6). £1 coin required.
- Vending machine with beverages
- Stairs that give access to the lower floor (Floor 0/ zero) where the Sports Hall is located (paying area)
- Lift that takes you to the lower floor (Floor 0/ zero) where the Sports Hall is located (playing area)
On lower floor (Floor 0/ zero):
- Access to the Sports Hall where the event games are taking place.
- Changing Rooms #3 & 4 and Toilets. Showers and hairs dryers available.
- Lockers – (in the hall and inside changing rooms #3 & 4). £1 coin required.
- Water refill point
- Stairs that give access to the upper floor (Floor 1/ one) where the Sports Hall gallery is located.
- Lift that takes you to the upper floor (Floor 1/ one) where the Sports Hall gallery is located.
– FESTIVAL DYNAMIC –
Registration
Registration opens at 9:15 am at the Registration Desk – Plays starts at 9:30am or as soon as the courts are set up.
Name label
On arrival you will be given a name label with a pin. Please attach it to your T-shirt, so that it’s easier for everyone to be on first name terms.
Magnetic Label
After registration you will need to go to the Order of Play Board Area (across the registration desk area) were a magnetic label will be at the table with your name and a colour representing the level of play you indicated on your application form. If you want to play, you need to give your magnetic label to the volunteers working the Order of Play Board Area and your name will then be added to three others on the board to play.
GREENS: Anywhere below 3.0 – Beginner/ Advanced beginner (Up to 2.99)
AMBERS: Between 3.0 and 3.49 – Intermediate (3.0 to 3.49)
REDS: Anywhere above 3.5 – Advanced intermediate/ Advanced (3.5+)
Your label will be placed back on the table as soon as your game finishes and will be available to be returned to the board when you would like to play another game.
Players choose when they would like to play a game. If you do not want to play at any time for any reason, simply leave your label on the table until you are ready to play again.
Games will be either 12 minutes or first to 11 points, whichever happens first. Once the time has run out, you will be notified by an announcement and by your court number being displayed on a RED CARD, indicating that you must vacate the court for the next group of players to begin their game. Please vacate the court as soon as the announcement is made so that everyone has the opportunity to play the same amount of time.
Order of Play Board
It’s a simple format. 9 Courts, with 4 players on each court.
Morning (9:30am to 2:30pm): Mixed Play, see categories below.
Afternoon (2:30pm to 4:30pm): Open Play, you may agree and arrange games with players of your choice.
Mixed Play Categories
- REDS – players with a RED colour will play with RED and AMBER colour players.
- AMBERS– players with an AMBER colour will play with AMBER, RED and GREEN colour players.
- GREENS – players with a GREEN colour will play with GREEN and AMBER colour players.
Last Games Start: 16:15 – 16:30 finishing
All players must vacate Aberdeen Sport Village complex no later than 17:00.
When entering the sports hall, please adhere to the venues rules as shown in the following photo:
Apart from the pride of a friendly win, the only prizes on offer are from the Raffle.
The raffle will rise funds for a very needed charity: MacMillan Cancer Support in aid of Skene Fundraising Committee (Sc No. 039907). This year this organization celebrates 50 years of fundraising and uniquely, all monies raised by the committee is used directly to fund local MacMillan projects in the North East of Scotland, for the benefit of people diagnosed with cancer and their families.
Tickets and prizes will be available in the Festival Office (Registration Desk Area across Sports Hall Gallery/ Viewing area). The draw will take place on Saturday lunchtime and prizes then available for collection.
Bring cash to purchase your tickets. £5 for a strip of 5 numbers
Bring your cracked pickleballs and help us make pickleball more sustainable. At the registration desk (Festival Office), you’ll find a collection box where you can drop off any cracked balls. We’ll be sending them to CRACK’D, an entrepreneurial company that transforms used pickleballs into new, innovative products.
Filming and photographs will be taken at this event and may be used by Grampian Pickleball Club as creative content to advertise, promote or showcase the event. It is the individual’s responsibility to make it known to the Festival organizing team before 30th April 2026 if they do not wish to have their picture taken or games filmed. You can contact the team via email to grampianfestival@gmail.com
If your are posting pictures of the event on your personal social media pages, can we asked you to tag our accounts and use #GPCFestival2026 as your hashtag?. You can find us on: Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
We’re looking forward to seeing you next month and hope you don’t need to cancel your place BUT if you do, a reminder that full refunds are available before 12th April 2026.
Safe travels to Aberdeen, we look forward to seeing you at our Festival on Saturday 2nd. of May 2026
Grampian Pickleball Club Festival Committee
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