Ballysillan with kids: swimming, youth groups and local play
Ballysillan offers a practical mix of swimming, youth activities and small community groups. Start with the leisure centre for a family swim or a lesson matched to your child’s ability, then look to the BlueHouses for primary-age and young-teen drop-ins. Ballysillan Presbyterian combines Sunday children’s activities with games, craft and family pickleball. Outside, the playing fields remain a local option during phased redevelopment, but temporary closures matter: check the pool and sports-hall notices before setting out, and follow signs around the works.
Updated
Choose a family swim, not just an open building
Ballysillan Leisure Centre on Ballysillan Road has a 25-metre, four-lane community pool. Swim for All is the open-layout family option, while Swim for Fitness is lane swimming for competent swimmers aged eleven and over. Choose the session that suits the child rather than using the centre’s general opening hours as a pool timetable. Book through the Better app or the centre’s swimming page.
Public-swim admission is charged per person. Non-member adults pay £5.80 and juniors aged five to fifteen £2.85. Under-fives swim free. Pay As You Go members pay £4.60 for adults and £2.25 for juniors; the adult concession rate is £2.25, and Swim School pupils have free swimming access. A poolside locker requires a refundable £1. An accompanying adult’s charge still matters when a young child swims free.
The centre currently advertises a pool closure on 27 October, a sports-hall closure and no hot water in the female pre-cleanse showers. Check directly before travelling, because the notice headings do not establish reopening times. For access planning, the centre lists a disabled toilet, accessible parking, ramp access and accessible changing, plus sixty parking spaces including six disabled spaces and bike storage for six bikes.
- Ballysillan Leisure Centre
A 25-metre community pool and children’s swimming lessons, with supervised Junior Gym for ages 11–17.
- Swim for All at Ballysillan
Share a family swim in the community pool’s open-layout sessions.
- Swim for Fitness at Ballysillan
Lane swimming for confident swimmers aged 11 and over.
Build water confidence at the right level
Better Swim School is a progression, not a collection of interchangeable drop-in classes. Foundation is for ages four and over and teaches water safety and survival skills through Red, Amber and Green levels, working towards independent ten-metre swimming. Development is for ages five and over who can already swim fifteen metres unaided; it works on all four strokes, aquatic sports and survival skills. Academy moves on to personal targets, junior lifesaving and more independent swimming.
A separate SEND swimming class is advertised for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities on Thursdays at 3pm. Talk to the team about the child’s needs, support, level and joining arrangements before enrolling. The regular Thursday description is not a guarantee that a particular holiday session is running. Public swimming admission prices are not lesson fees: check the complete course charge through the owner’s booking route.
For an older child interested in the gym, Junior Gym is for eleven-to-seventeen-year-olds, with a qualified instructor present and an induction compulsory before participation. The centre’s £2.90 junior price appears in the Pay As You Go Member Concession column; non-member and ordinary Pay As You Go entries are N/A. Check the applicable account arrangement rather than assuming this is a universal non-member price.
- Better Swim School at Ballysillan
Build water confidence, safety and swimming technique through the centre’s children’s lesson pathway.
- SEND children’s swimming lessons at Ballysillan
A supportive swimming class designed for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.
- Junior Gym at Ballysillan
Instructor-supervised gym sessions for 11–17-year-olds, following a mandatory induction.
Give primary children and young teenagers their own space
The BlueHouses at 50–56 Benview Park is Ballysillan Youth for Christ’s community base. Its educational, recreational and personal-development work welcomes children and young people from all backgrounds and abilities. This is faith-based youth provision, not an all-day public play attraction; contact the team about a first visit and the right group.
Junior Drop In is for ages seven to eleven in P4–P7. Monday is split into P4–P5 at 6.15–7.15pm and P6–P7 at 7.30–8.30pm. The activities aim to build confidence, participation and relationships in an informal setting. Those two school-stage slots belong to one junior programme, so choose the right one rather than treating them as two different outings.
Intermediate Drop In moves to ages eleven to fourteen in Year 8–10, advertised on Wednesdays at 7.30–9.30pm. It offers recreation and support as young people move towards senior youth groups. For families with an eleven- or twelve-year-old, the school-year condition matters as well as age. Call 028 9071 4255 or email ballysillanyfc@thebluehouses.org for registration and current arrangements.
- The BlueHouses youth community
A Ballysillan youth centre with age-specific drop-ins for primary children and younger teenagers.
- Junior Drop In at the BlueHouses
Games and positive recreational activities for ages 7–11, split by primary-school stage.
- Intermediate Drop In at the BlueHouses
A social and recreational youth group for ages 11–14 in school years 8–10.
Try a Christian community group with clear expectations
Ballysillan Presbyterian Church is at 773 Crumlin Road. Sunday worship begins at 11.30am and normally finishes around 12.45pm. Newcomers are explicitly welcome, with no dress code or set seating. Babies and toddlers have a creche, while primary children usually join the first part of worship and then leave for Sunday Club before returning. On the first Sunday of the month everyone stays together for a shorter all-age service.
Girlzone combines games, craft, friendship and Christian teaching for girls of primary-school age. Its advertised Monday pattern is 6.30–7.45pm. Places are limited: contact the church before a first visit rather than assuming space is available. Use info@ballysillan.org to ask about the next meeting and joining arrangements.
Family pickleball is advertised on the first and third Friday of the month, 7–8pm. It combines elements of table tennis, badminton and tennis, with friendly competition for all ages. Every child must be accompanied by an adult. Check the church calendar for the next meeting; neither a monthly pattern nor the word family establishes a confirmed half-term date.
- Ballysillan Presbyterian Church family activities
A local Christian welcome with children’s Sunday activities, primary-age girls’ games and craft, and family pickleball.
- Girlzone at Ballysillan Presbyterian
Games, craft and friendship for primary-school girls in a Christian group.
- Creche and Sunday Club at Ballysillan Presbyterian
Babies, toddlers and primary children have age-appropriate activities during Sunday worship.
- Family pickleball at Ballysillan Presbyterian
A relaxed all-age game combining elements of table tennis, badminton and tennis.
Keep outdoor plans flexible while the playing fields change
Ballysillan Playing Fields has entrances at Alliance Drive, Ballysillan Road and Deerpark Road, with Metro 11A listed as a bus option from the city centre. The council lists soccer pitches and a bowling green. A short outdoor visit can complement an indoor activity, but let the on-site signs and available access determine the route rather than assuming every part is open.
A major redevelopment started in July 2025 and is expected to finish in spring 2027. The playing fields remain open during the works, with sections closed in stages. The future destination park is not yet a completed attraction. The council separately lists an existing Ballysillan playground within the playing fields at Ballysillan Road, BT14 7QR; check its current access against the staged works rather than assuming the whole site is available. Follow temporary restrictions and keep children away from closed work areas.
For organised sport, use the council’s pitch-booking enquiry route. A request is not a confirmed booking until the Pitches Admin Team supplies written or email confirmation. The bookings line is 028 9027 0684, Monday to Friday 8am–4pm. Free Wi-Fi is specifically in the changing pavilion, not an admission-price claim for sport. Before a longer visit, confirm the chosen activity and any current access changes.
- Ballysillan Playing Fields
An outdoor local option with soccer pitches and a bowling green, remaining open in stages during redevelopment.
Useful sources
- Ballysillan owner or host activity and visitor information
- Ballysillan owner or host activity and visitor information
- Ballysillan owner or host activity and visitor information
- Ballysillan owner or host activity and visitor information
- Ballysillan owner or host activity and visitor information
- Ballysillan owner or host activity and visitor information
- Ballysillan owner or host activity and visitor information
- Ballysillan owner or host activity and visitor information
- Ballysillan owner or host activity and visitor information
- Ballysillan owner or host activity and visitor information
- Ballysillan owner or host activity and visitor information
- Ballysillan owner or host activity and visitor information
- Ballysillan owner or host activity and visitor information
- Ballysillan owner or host activity and visitor information
