RA Centre

Fantastic experience: Great place for sports. Booked badminton courts here!

Fantastic experience: The RA Centre has so many activities, and their staff is excellent in their customer service.

Fantastic experience: Badminton courts are well maintained and well lit. It’s not mixed with any other sport, so no markings on the floor other than boundaries for badminton court.

Fantastic experience: This has to be one of the most pleasant gym experiences I've had. No silly subscription system to get in. The staff are super kind, there's hundreds of activities to partake in it seems. The building shows it's age in some places but then is state of the art in others suggesting that the center is continuously growing. The gym is the reason I go. The change rooms are nice, but I wish the lockers were taller and had ventilation. The free weights are plentiful, the machines are varied. I wish there was an upright chest press though. There's a lot of cardio machines that sit mostly unused which I feel could be better utilized in terms of space. The place is not crowded in the least. But because pickleball is next door you'll often have crowds forming between the gym and the locker rooms and you'll find yourself asking people to step aside.

Fantastic experience: I usually play pickle ball here with my friends.

Positive experience: We have been using the pickleball facility at the RA center for about 3 years . Overall a good experience , except recently for the first time after booking and paying on line our court was double booked. A man approched us telling us this was his court and it was up to me to figure out the problem. To make a long story short , after 15 minutes of confusion the issue was sorted out.

Fantastic experience: Great spot to play squash - fun community and welcoming to beginners

Fantastic experience: The curling rink is awesome and the curling courses are very fun and helpful

Negative experience: "We continuously strive to create positive experiences" quoted from a response to another review and I can say this is false. Part of "striving" is ensuring staff uphold this standard and ask for the same of the members who we share those spaces with. The centre could be the only place offering something of interest and I would choose to forgoe attending simply out of principle after my experience. From the website, to the registration process to showing up for the activity, I was met with lack of clarity, difficulty to access accurate information, and judgment. And no, I don't think these are symptoms of a not for profit that's working with limited funding/resources. I expected more from a space that claims to "serve the community."

Positive experience: Good private rec centre. Everything is a tad worn and old but lots of good programs

Positive experience: No bathroom near by soccer field

Fantastic experience: Great pickleball.

Fantastic experience: Extremly large place for chopping lol

Negative experience: Some kids there tried fighting me and he was older than me by 3 years and the coach yelled at me for no reason

Fantastic experience: Great place to get into a new activity or find organized clubs for most activities you can think of. Definitely worth a drop in or visit to the website

Fantastic experience: Very nice public arenas with multiple courts to choose from. All the courts are well maintain. Only thing I would add is some portable toilet closer to the outdoor soccer field... there is a washroom inside the arena but you aren't allowed to wear cleats...

Negative experience: Too hot in the badminton court every summer.

Negative experience: Badminton: Building not well maintained, humidity and heat is unbearable in the summer. They don't use AC. Women's washroom are often disgusting. The quality of the building and service sure don't match the price of court booking that went up 50% in a year. Furthermore, It is extremely difficult to book a court with the registration system and the court schedule is very limited except maybe for the summer. LOTS of pot holes in the parking.... Courts are OK. Lighting is okay as well.

Positive experience: Grat place to watch soccer

Fantastic experience: Can't speak on the athlete's perspective, but this is a nice place for spectators. There's little bleachers and lots of parking.

Positive experience: I went to a conference at THE RA Center. Plenty of parking. I liked the layout. The washrooms were clean. The staff were very friendly and helpful. Glad I went.

Negative experience: I had a booked a firearms safety course here for May 17-19 and had to cancel as plans changed and I could no longer make the course. Called to cancel and finally someone answered after the 4th attempt, they told me it was canceled and I would be refunded. Over the course of two weeks I’ve called regarding the refund (that never came) with no answer. I’ve left messages and had no answers. This is such a disappointment as people boast about this place, but I would never recommend it to anyone becuase of this!

Positive experience: While the sports facilities have been well maintained, the rest of the building has not. Carpeting, stairs, cooking facilities, parking lot are all in very poor states. Curling ice needs more help!

Fantastic experience: The life for centre is well equipped and the staff are amazing. The people working there arewhat keeps me going there

Fantastic experience: My partner and myself curl there. The coaches are lovely and knowledgeable. There's a nice bar you could hangout in at the end of each game. I definitely recommend RA centre

Fantastic experience: Very good and honest people .no pressure sale

Positive experience: UPDATE: This review resulted in improvements! This was originally a one star review, but two days after posting I received a very informative email from the vice-president of recreation (Hi Kelly :), who immediately addressed the 'locked' lockers. I've changed the star rating to three stars, and look forward to the improved facilities. Original review: The pickleball courts are actually decent (although expensive at $30 an hour), but the staff and cleanliness of this place are terrible. The men’s locker room floor is a matted carpet that I don’t think has been cleaned… ever. One locker was filled with someone’s dirty clothes for ten months before *I* removed them and put them in the garbage. Just today I let the staff know that one locker has had a lock on it for more than a year. The young staffer, who was eating a plate of food, looked up and sneered at me like I had some nerve to speak to him. He then returned to his food without acknowledging this information at all. I suspect the lock will remain.

Positive experience: played soccer in the big dome, the fields are nice but the bathrooms close by are outhouses and are absolutely disgusting. the bathrooms in the actual RA centre are about a 10 minute walk and are fine. no place to buy coffee here.

Positive experience: Stopped by to play soccer in the dome and took advantage of the clubhouse. Clubhouse is amazingly set up and super convenient to change in and enjoy a bit of downtime before or after activities. Downside was in the dome where it seemed that there was no temperature control as the indoor temperatures were rather very cold. While the assumption is that physical activity will warm up individuals, it might be beneficial to consider people who are there to watch or cheer on players.

Fantastic experience: Plenty of sports to offer but a bit expensive. Badminton slot is so difficult to find and it's 30$ an hour now instead of 20$.

Positive experience: Nice facility but you can tell it's pretty old

Fantastic experience: The RA Centre is a really nice sporting complex. I just went for an orientation of the building because I'm starting badminton next January. The courts are really nice. There's a lounge area just outside the courts area where you can meet up with the other players before the games start. Change rooms are in good proximity as well. I can't wait to get started.

Negative experience: Tried emailing them twice regarding an issue, no respond. Spoke the people on the front counter and they can't help me but tell me to email to the same address and still no respond. Not sure what to do when you have a problem that can't be solve by the front counter.

Positive experience: Dome field is great. Parking lot is in need of repaving

Positive experience: You can play curling, ping pang , pickleball here, but need registration first

Fantastic experience: Great place to get active. Sign up for a recreational league and get out there. I've played soccer here for years and always look forward to using their facilities

Negative experience: No place no take a shower. The turfs is of poor quality.

Positive experience: Archery team is knowledgeable and friendly, reception has been nice too when ive needed them. Schedules are a pain to navigate though, for instance the whole range could be booked for a private event but the system will still allow a lane reservation at that time. The two should be synced up to avoid confusion

Positive experience: Played badminton, lines were correct, I think they cost a lot though to book one, lights were low and off to the sides so drives were hard to hit. There's a badminton so store which was cool

Positive experience: Lots of facilities but all of them are pretty average. The turf fields are old and need new turf. It’s very hard to see when you play at night and I’d say I have pretty good vision. There is a pool, a workout facility, squash courts, curling, and much more inside the facility. All of it could use some updating but it offers you a chance to play various sports within the city.

Fantastic experience: Best Badminton courts but hard to find the slots

Positive experience: I go here for badminton. The courts are the best you will find in Ottawa. The change rooms and washrooms are almost always dirty and unhygienic in the Women's. Ottawa's main place for all sorts of sports for many years however, little money goes back into the buildings maintenance and cleaning. The RA is due for an upgrade if they will be increasing the prices from $20 to $30 per hour for badminton court rentals. I'm surprised how out dated this place is given the high traffic of people.

Fantastic experience: Enjoyed badminton game on wooden court, best one in ottawa...booking opens at 9am for next week same day.

Positive experience: Good to play for pickup with many soccer fields

Negative experience: No AC most poorly maintained squash facility in Ottawa

Fantastic experience: Great place to place soccer with your friends and team

Fantastic experience: Had a great experience at Capital Sports. Great place!

Positive experience: Pickleball courts are great. Just need the dividers back

Positive experience: Average, lines on field are hard to see. The location is good, parking is great.

Positive experience: I play slopitch on the ball diamonds. The diamonds are pretty good. The outfields could use some rolling to level them out, but overall great.

Fantastic experience: Big parking space, organised, large fields, close toany residence areas.

Positive experience: Nice place! only if there are seats or benches to sit while watching games.

Positive experience: Not every amenity you'd want, but overall a solid rec center

Fantastic experience: Good pitches, they have to fix the parking lots

Fantastic experience: Great place to play. The bubble is still fairly warm in the winter. The leagues are well run. The staff is very kind and attentive. Footy Sevens could invest in a few newer balls! But overall lots of fun to play there.

Positive experience: I am happy to amend my previous review. The last time I went to the RA center I saw really nice separator on the courts. It was very effective on out balls. I feel they seeming to be making strides forward in improving their facilities.I cannot comment about cleanliness like in my last review as I have not used the changing room. But hopefully you will have a good experience. The RA Center is the most expensive place to play in the city as they have brought their prices up 50% last year. It could be worth it if the facilities are well maintained. It's too bad because it has made it unaffordable for many.

Positive experience: The chess club is free only on Sundays for 3 hours only. From 1 pm to 4 pm. On Thursdays, it is open from 7 pm but you need to pay for the membership. If the club would open more frequently, chess would be promoted further.

Fantastic experience: Closest indoor pickleball to me and the courts are nice. The booking process is pretty competitive which is a shame but there are more players than courts esp in winter. The facilities are nice and things are kept clean.

Positive experience: I have an "ok" experience with the badminton courts. The design is nice with straight proper nets, only badminton lines marked on the ground, and nice wooden flooring. However, the slipperiness of the floor is quite unacceptable. Many friends have reported the same thing, no matter the badminton shoes. It is more problematic during the winter.

Positive experience: Been going to the dome weekly with my son for the Cokiseum league soccer. They do a great job. It would be nice I'd the dome was a bit warmer but overall very good.

Positive experience: Soccer field dome was pretty good but minor unevenness in some places. Overall good place to play soccer

Fantastic experience: New curling club setup is very open, flexible and useful in so many ways. Ice surface is in very good condition, clean and the "arena ice" experience is pretty interesting.

Fantastic experience: Nice sport facility. Go there every week for soccer.

Negative experience: Nice place for indoor soccer. But they don't have washrooms.

Fantastic experience: I loved my archery classes with my son! I just wish the signage on the building was a little better. Other than that, super fun!

Positive experience: I visited this center to play squash last week and had an enjoyable experience. Staff were pleasant and helpful and there are plenty of courts so it is pretty easy to book a spot.

Negative experience: I have seen many badminton players getting injured because of the slippery courts. During winter it's worse. To the management,please do something about this

Fantastic experience: I go there for Badminton and it has been a good experience so far. They have 6 courts and unlike other sports centers where they have 2 or 3 courts which are always booked, this one can be booked easily if you plan 3 days prior.

Positive experience: Very nice dome and pitch. A little chilly in the winter so keep a coat or sweater.

Positive experience: A wide variety of sports and activities offered. Dedicated badminton and pickleball courts.

Positive experience: It is cool, it could be improve. Nice turf

Positive experience: Squash courts are a bit dated but nice place.

Positive experience: Lots of construction and not great signage on where to go in the building or how to get to different places but love that they are redoing everything so they can be accessible and be completely integrated with the able body and disabled community. Was there for a wheelchair learn to curl event. It was fun and probably will join the curling next season

Fantastic experience: Great staff that will go out of their way to help out!

Positive experience: Great place to play beach volleyball. Deep sand on the courts, though they’re so big it’s probably best suited for 6s.

Positive experience: Lots of change going on, the is now ping-pong in where the bar lounge is overlooking pickleball where the curling used to be. The changerooms are now locked, need to find out what combo is to be able to change. Will be interesting this winter for pickleball with everyone to use the changers with jackets and outdoor footwear without wanting to bring that stuff out to the court area. Is there a rule guys can't change a sweaty shirt outside the court area? Given the changerooms were locked and now code shared? I was told to put a shirt on while trying to change a shirt?!?(Yet it is legal for women to go top less in public in the city?). Hmmm.

Fantastic experience: Great place to swim. Kids really can have a great time here learning to swim as part of being here.

Positive experience: Best badminton facility in the city... Many other sports as well.

Negative experience: The soccer field is not properly cut, the ball doesn't roll through the grass as smoothly as it was supposed to roll. Since the grass is high, it is dangerous to play because you can even get injured there.

Negative experience: Fun to attend for badminton. The roads on the property are completely destroyed and something loud flew up and hit the underside of my car whilst leaving. Apparently 5kph is fast enough to kick up rocks. They really need to invest in maintenance.

Positive experience: Good staff good facilities not much to comment on other than the consistency at which the fields and courts are upheld, or if other facilities are open or not.

Positive experience: Amenities are just okay. I wanted to give 5 stars, but i decided not because the road in the parking lot is so bad

Fantastic experience: RA Centre has good Badminton Courts. Though it's at approx. 30 minutes drive from my place, I like its courts better than any nearby ones.

Positive experience: The RA Centre is a really nice facility! I didn't walk around the entire place, but did play in a pickleball tournament there so this rating is primarily for the court area. The complex is easy to get to and there is ample free parking. The courts are well-lit, well-marked and the surfaces are beautiful, with a non-slip finish that will definitely give you road rash if you fall, but slips are not an issue. The net systems are top quality. There is a bar in the lounge which overlooks the courts, a change area, the washrooms are close and the entire place is clean and well-maintained. There are a few negatives, however. 1. The ceiling has light and large ventilation structures which hang quite low over the courts, making lobs a challenge. Even some mis-hits make contact, which is a fault. 2. The space between and around the courts isn't abundant. An aggressive player chasing down a good shot could easily wind up on an adjacent court, and it's impossible to get to the back courts without disrupting play on the front courts. 3. The final negative is the court running crossways between the front and back courts. Why? Regardless of these negatives, I think it still deserves a 4-star rating because it was enjoyable to play there!

Fantastic experience: It was very exciting experience, I played badminton there and it was amazing

Positive experience: I utilize the Dome more than the facility itself, but our kids go to camp here almost every summer and it offers a ton of choices. The kids usually have a fun time too.

Negative experience: Awful experience with their summer day camp. We enrolled my 10 year old niece here for most of the summer. For a couple of weeks now she was experiencing bullying from some of the children in the camp (name calling, being left out of games, kicking her in the pool). The camp counsellors did nothing to stop this throughout the weeks so we decided to pull her from the camp completely. Only until a couple days of her not being there do they call and offer to talk to the parents of the bully. Which we all know will achieve nothing. Children should feel safe and heard, not like another cheque to the company. Very disappointed in the lack of care and experience of the staff here.

Positive experience: Its a very nice sports complex - things almost back to normalcy - facilities are good - staff friendly - enjoy the sessions

Fantastic experience: My daughter (7 yo) just loved the summer camp. Thank to everyone involved.

Positive experience: The RA centre has been serving our community for over 60 years and deserves our support. If and when the opportunity presents itself, please help the RA centre to survive the pandemic and the post pandemic economic situation.

Fantastic experience: Great time at the archery range. Had it to ourselves and all the precautions for covid made us feel safe. Will be looking at getting a membership so spend more time there

Positive experience: Great place to play squash. I haven’t tried too many of their facilities but it’s really convenient to book online and there’s almost no friction when you enter. Just go straight to the front desk and confirm you’re there, nothing else to do. The prices are a bit steep for squash, but there aren’t many options right now anyways.

Positive experience: John was very patient at their one-time ‘Try Archery’ and their COVID-19 protocols were enforced. Badminton was happening below us behind the green mesh, so it was loud and difficult to concentrate, but I still fun.

Fantastic experience: Best place to play handball in the region...the only place really. Friendly staff. Looks like they have a great badminton program.

Fantastic experience: Great location, loads of activities and summer camps. Love the outdoor pool at the back.

Positive experience: Great squash facility with free and easy parking available making this a a very easy choice to visit again and again. Per use fees are also very reasonable.

Fantastic experience: This place is fantastic. My granddaughter was playing soccer in the dome. It is huge a great place to play summer sports in winter.

Negative experience: Played soccer here for a little while. Never. Ever. Again! One star is orders of magnitude more than they deserve (which is a big fat goose egg). The service has steadily but surely declined over the years. The dome is becoming a real eyesore, there are no changing facilities (there are a couple of porta poties outside but these are run down, but have fun using them in the winter, there's only one stall for each gender). The management is terrible, constant double booking, with no compensation. A bunch of amateurs. Honestly, why has the City even let such a beautiful part of the City get taken over by this eye sore of a dome that obstructs the Rideau River, poor City planning here as well. There should have been a park or something here. And don't get me started on the refereeing at this place. These guys think they are reffing the champions league final but get every call wrong. And are arrogant about it too. Really frustrating and really hard to get a flow going in a game. I would highly recommend that the City avoid these clowns and go to any other dome in the City (Ottawa U Lees, Ben Franklin, Louis Riel...any place but here). You will be thoroughly disappointed if you play here. There's also zero maintenance on the RA building, just a run down building with a run down parking lot. If you're not a regular you will be treated like garbage. Pretty sure there's some preferential treatment/racism happening in the background. Sign up here at your own risk. You were warned. Put these guys out of business for the way they treat the public honestly. Who's with me? Anyway - that's my two cents on this place. Feel free to disagree, but you won't be seeing me or my crew there again. Huge risk of injury dealing with unqualified refs calling games nonsensically. It's just not fun here. Just a bunch of clowns.

Positive experience: Parking is a zoo here, even at noon on a Wednesday! The rink itself is a bit cold and the dressing rooms are small and poorly laid out. The soccer fields are a bit lumpy but not too bad. No benches though

Positive experience: Great rink...ice is usually good but showers are iffy for warm water