There are few customers of Bell’s Sports Centre who have spent so much time in the venue since its opening in 1968 than Perth-born Pat Duffy, stalwart of the local and national table tennis scene.  Pat has been a regular visitor to ‘Bell’s’  for the past 55 years and even remembers the time when it was built.  Every day he would walk past the site on his way to school and watch it rise from the ground to be the stunning domed sports centre that it is today. 

We spoke to Pat, as he celebrates his 70^th birthday, about what the venue has meant to him over the years.

“I remember watching the sports centre being built as I walked to and from school everyday, on the site of the soldiers barracks.  As soon as it opened it became a place for me to go to all the time, I played table tennis there and five-a-side football.  There was a lunchtime league which I played in as well as a Sunday league too.  From the very beginning, the centre was a really popular place with so much to do.”

“I also remember how cold it was in the winter and how hot under the old roof, in the summer too, thankfully it’s not like that anymore!  I’ve seen floods and leaks and everything else along the way, and for being over 50 years old, the venue has been maintained really well and is in really good shape for its age compared to so many other sports centres I’ve visited.”

When we chatted about what has kept Pat coming back year after year, he spoke a lot about enjoying the competitive aspect of it all. 

“Table tennis isn’t as sociable as some other sports, as you compete on your own a lot, however what I really enjoy is the competition and the training.  I have been training and taking part in competitions from the beginning and I just really enjoy that aspect of it, I still do now.  The great thing about table tennis too is that it’s a sport you can take part in from a really young age to a really old age and every time in between!  I run a table tennis group for people who have Parkinson’s disease and we have a member called Pat who is 86 years old and joined us just last year.  That’s what’s great about table tennis, it’s a great workout and anyone can come along and take part.”

Lastly we chatted about the changes he has seen over the years, and what he thought about what Bell’s Sports Centre was offering now. 

“I think it’s fantastic seeing so many people, especially young people coming into the Centre so much with the new gym they developed.  Bell’s has a great buzz about it now, and it’s great to see how they’ve taken a space that was often very quiet and made it something so popular.”

If you would like to play table tennis with your family or friends you can book a table by clicking BOOK HERE

and if you would like to join Pat and the other players who attend sessions or league games you can find more information CLICK HERE.

Photo taken by Fraser Band Photography: www.fraserband.co.uk