The 35 hectare site (which is about 54 football pitches to you & me!) is nearby Celtic Park (where the Opening Ceremony takes place) and it also alongside the Emirates Arena and the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome. The location of the Village is such that 80% of the competition venues are within a 20 minute journey (guess that depends on the traffic though which I'm presuming will be mental!).
We arrived at the site on a coach into the Transport Mall (I was with the media tour of journalists and reporters) and we experienced the boarding process that the athlete's will go through on their arrival. At the Welcome Centre, we went through a security check, similar to that at an airport, and then we had our credentials checked (photographic ID was required so I had my passport with me) before being given our passes for our visit.
The Village isn't just where the athlete's sleep... it's got everything that they could possibly need for their stay in Glasgow from a gymnasium to the medical facility to a hairdresser and the 2000 seat dining hall! The Village aims to be a secure, comfortable and friendly environment - 'a home away from home'.
I was shown round some of the facilities and it's very impressive. Everything is on such a grand scale.
The houses are functional and seem comfortable enough. The schoolchildren's artwork on the walls is a lovely touch and will hopefully be appreciated by the visitors. Around 9,000 posters were produced by schoolchildren from across Scotland and are displayed in the bedrooms. Each artist has included their contact details and it's hoped the athlete's will contact them to say thanks for their work and then they can take the posters away with them as a souvenir of Glasgow 2014.
The Polyclinic has 11 disciplines of healthcare professionals for the athlete's from dentistry to physiotherapy and optometry to pharmacy. The dentist's room even already smells like a dentists! There are so many high tech gadgets on-site including a massive portable MR unit!
The gymnasium wasn't as big as I had thought it would be given the number of residents that will be on-site. Although there are two gyms in the Village and additional facilities available at four external training areas. Here's hoping Mo Farah and Usain Bolt won't be arguing over the treadmills!
Unfortunately due to the wee ones I was unable to join the others for dinner, the overnight stay and breakfast. It would have been nice to have the full experience, but needs must!
The statistics are crazy...
There will be 6800 residents come game time with the first guests checking in next week!
The Village dining hall will serve up more than 390,000 meals with more than 2000 different menu items.
There are 1400 medical services volunteers that will be working at the Polyclinic.
It is expected that 30,000 towels, 26,000 bed sheets, 20,000 toilet rolls and 100,000 bin liners will be used!!!
So what happens when the games are over?
Once the last team has departed, of the 700 homes, 300 will be privately sold... 300 will be used for social housing... and 100 for mid-market rental. (Although there is additional work that needs to be done to the houses to convert them into residential properties as none of them have kitchens!). A two-storey building in the Village is also going to be transformed into a care home.
The furniture, around 36,000 items, will also be made available to Glasgow's vulnerable families and local charities.