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Pete Hayman looks at some of the recently developed or refurbished athletic facilities
that are available to help in the sport’s continual growth over the coming years
W
ith less than three years to place for the sport to continue its just as crucial to the development of
go until the start of the Lon- growth over the coming years. athletics in Britain is ensuring that exist-
don Olympic and Paralympic “The advent of the London Olympics ing facilities are also kept up to standard.
Games, the Olympic Park is and the government’s Building Schools “Perhaps more important than the
not the only place where the construc- for the Future project have created a provision of new facilities is the main-
tion of venues is in full flow. Sports clubs growing interest in sport generally and tenance of existing ones,” he explains.
and local authorities across the UK are athletics in particular,” he says. “Both “Facility providers find it increasingly
also engaging in projects to provide new UKA and England Athletics are well difficult to fund the upkeep and refur-
and upgraded facilities that will form aware of the opportunity which has been bishment of athletics facilities.
the basis of a lasting legacy beyond the presented to them and there are signs “Poorly maintained tracks do not en-
2012 Games and contribute towards ef- that participation levels are improving.” courage usage and can lead to track
forts to get more people participating. Sutcliffe explains that UKA has a strict closures, loss of local amenities and job
Athletics – a large part of the Games – certification system in place to ensure losses. Those responsible for budgets
are one of the many sports that is in that upgraded athletics facilities meet need to ensure that adequate provision
line to benefit, and UK Athletics’ (UKA) certain standards for training and com- is made for capital costs, running costs,
facilities manager Peter Sutcliffe believes petition, while new builds are subject to equipment costs and the refurbishment
that the opportunities are now in scrutiny at the planning stage. However, of track surfaces.”
QUEENS PARK TRACK, INVERNESS
One athletics facility that has recently benefited from a major
renovation is the Queens Park track in Inverness, north Scot-
land. A new eight-lane Polytan all-weather track has been
laid adjacent to the Inverness Leisure complex as part of a
£135,000 revamp funded by Inverness Common Good Fund
and the Highland Council.
A photo finish system and seating for 300 spectators are
also on offer at the facility, which aims to capitalise on the On your marks at Queens Park’s
recent media coverage of Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt’s re- renovated facilities in Inverness
cord-breaking runs at the World Championships to captivate
local young people to take up the sport. Championships in Berlin where the 100m record was smashed,
James Martin, Inverness Leisure’s general manager, says: we are hopeful that this profile raised along with the develop-
“It’s been absolutely fantastic to watch up and coming ath- ments at Queens Park, may encourage more children to take
letes running the first few laps on the new track at Queens up athletics and support the growth of the Inverness Harriers
Park. After the widespread media interest in the World and other athletics groups in the longer term.”
52 Read Sports Management online
sportsmanagement.co.uk/digital Issue 4 2009 © cybertrek 2009
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