End of an era for Derry’s only skatepark

DC Skatepark, Derry’s only skatepark, has closed down.

Based in Altnagelvin Industrial Estate on Trench Road in the Waterside, DC Skatepark was owned by professional skater Joe Hill. 

Speaking to The Derry News, Joe said he had a lifelong love of skating and after living and skating in Germany for 13 years, he moved back to Derry just after lockdown and realised there was a need for a skatepark in the city.

“The City Council has been dragging its heels about building a skatepark for the past 15 years at least,” he added, “and there was just nothing here for us. We needed a place. Some of the best skateboarders in Ireland come from Derry. The newest pro skateboarder Damian Collins is from Derry.

“One of the reasons I set up DC Skatepark was that the weather is so bad here in Ireland, in Derry, that there is not really anywhere to go to when it's raining to skate. There are no undercover places. So that’s what it was. Five years ago, we just decided to go ahead and do it ourselves. It is awful to see the place closing after five years,” said Joe.

Explaining how he got into skating, Joe said he had done loads of activities when he was younger, including football and hurling.

“But, I started skateboarding in 1999. I played that Tony Hawk Pro Skater game but I am not really a computer game kind of person but as soon as I played it, I thought, ‘I want to do this for real’ and once I tried it, I was hooked,” he said.

“And I’ll be honest, Derry has never been really great for skateboarding. But it has always had its waves and it has had good scenes and that but it has never really been a good place to skate. So, I have always been travelling around Ireland and Europe and ended up moving out to Europe because that was the best bet.”

Outlining the financial challenges of running a skatepark, Joe said: “For a skatepark, you need a huge warehouse with high roofs and a lot of floor space but you don’t have a lot of customers and that is expensive.

“It is more like providing a service than running a business. I think it is something the council should be doing but it isn’t going to do it and I don’t know when it ever will, so we had to go out and do it ourselves.”

A homebird, Joe said now he had returned to Derry, he wanted to stay. “I want to keep pushing skating here in Derry,” he added.

“We have some of the best skaters. The Ireland Women’s champ Taylor Cruickshank is from Derry. There are a lot of great skaters coming up now, so we do want to keep it going but it is about finding the right place. I didn’t want to announce we were closing until we found a place but it has been hard,” said Joe.

Announcing the “sad news” of DC Skatepark’s closure on social media, Joe said it was for the “foreseeable future as we still haven’t found a suitable new home”. Joe, who has won numerous international competitions and received sponsorship from major companies including DC Shoes and Monster Energy, added: “We have to dismantle the park starting this Monday (July 21), so Sunday, July 20 will be the official last session.

“I was putting off posting this as I was hoping to find a new location before we had to leave here but it’s just not looking possible.”

He attributed DC Skatepark’s closure to a “range of factors” as well as “the general cost of living shitfest we are living in”.

“Basically it comes down to the space not being viable anymore and unfortunately, a lack of use of the facility in general,” he added.

“That is not to say that we haven’t received amazing support from a lot of people from all over the country and right here in Derry but the numbers just don’t make up the rent anymore and it’s been getting worse not better, so it’s with a heavy heart that we'll be saying goodbye to this version of Derry City Skatepark.”

However, looking to the future with optimism, Joe said: But, it will live on somehow, somewhere. Keep an eye here for updates.

“And, I truly do appreciate all the support from all the people that came and enjoyed the park over the years and I’m sorry we couldn’t make it work here forever.

“But, things change and I’m hopeful that it will be for the better. Thank you all again,” he concluded. 

News of the skatepark’s imminent closure was met with disbelief and sadness and many supportive comments.

One person said: “Very sad to hear. Joe top man. James loved going to your place. It was a great and safe environment. Hope you get sorted soon with another venue.”

“So sorry to hear this, Joe. You have worked so, so hard on the skatepark. It looked so class. Aoife absolutely loved going up every week. I really hope you get re-located soon. We wish you all the best and hope everything works for you. Thanks for everything, Joe,” said another.

Galway Skateboard Association commented: “Gutted! Such a hard graft Joe. Hopefully a suitable location pops up soon!”

“Devastated for ye. Great memories of here,” wrote Han Clothing Official - the independent street wear designers based in Derry’s Craft Village.