Muirhead: “Step in Right Direction” for Perth Curling

A local council directive may have restarted the heart of curling in Perth, Scotland.

The rink at Dewars Centre was set to close along with two other leisure facilities, and it was announced that a consolidation into one new building wasn’t to include an ice rink.

The rink in Perth is the foundation of Olympic champion Eve Muirhead’s career, while the town is the also the home of World Curling’s headquarters.

Scottish Curling had described the planned closure as “cataclysmic” for curling in Scotland, the birthplace of the ancient game. The Dewars rink has been promoted as the “home of Scottish curling.”

Muirhead, who is currently in Korea, and other curling supporters objected loudly over the closure news which was released last Thursday. Councillors were deluged with email messages and phone calls. By the next day, a special Perth and Kinross Council statement indicated a new ice rink might get another look.

With curling stakeholders present, Monday’s gathering of the council saw a possible reprieve. Officers were eventually asked to prepare a report detailing the costs of including ice facilities in the new centre alongside the consolidated pool and sports halls.

A leisure swimming pool would have also been dropped—replaced by a traditional eight-lane pool—and a 1,700-signature petition from energized swimmers had been submitted before Monday’s meeting.

“It’s definitely a step in the right direction,” Muirhead said from Gangwon, where she is serving as chef de mission for Great Britain at the Winter Youth Olympics.

“Hopefully this decision will preserve the future of curling in Perth.”

“I am pleased consensus has been reached to take the (consolidation) project forward,” said council lead Grant Laing. “This will provide leisure swimming in a modern, flexible pool and we’ve also instructed officers to come back in August with a fully costed plan that will include the provision of ice facilities in the new building.”

World champion Peter Loudon and Scottish Curling CEO Vincent Bryson attended the meeting and made deputations on behalf of the curling community. The Daily Record reports that Loudon told councillors Perth’s curling participation numbers “are 40 per cent up on the figures quoted in (council’s) report. This is based on the current season; the numbers on the report come from the 2022-23 season.”

“I think this shows the strength of support from the curling community that we have generated over the past week has worked,” Loudon told The Curling News.

“A dire situation has now turned and collaboration is key as we move forward. I would welcome Perth and Kinross Council officers working closely with Scottish Curling, our local curlers group and other key stakeholders to ensure we build a fit-for-purpose curling facility that will serve the curling community for many years to come.”

One solution might be available just across the road, at World Curling’s offices. On Monday—the date of the council meeting—the organization announced a deal with ISS, whereby the German-based creator of ice rink and solar absorber systems becomes World Curling’s official ice production partner.

Officers are due to report back to council in August.