INDOOR FLOORING
The National Volleyball Centre
High quality sports facilities can breathe new life into athletes, structures and
towns alike. Leila Dukes looks at the new National Volleyball Centre in Kettering
to investigate the background and the effect of undergoing refurbishment
T
op class facilities are the starting Funding for the centre was secured for coaches were based at a disused airbase
point to nurturing sporting excel- a four-year period. Apart from Volley- in Upper Heyford with poor facilities,
lence. Athletes and participation ball England’s significant investment of where top athletes had to endure leaks,
levels are encouraged by the pres- £460,000, other funding partners includ- draughts and exposed building work.
ence of state-of-the-art amenities, which ed Phoenix Leisure/Kettering Conference The governing body made the difficult
can also have a direct influence on the Centre (£160,000), Kettering Borough decision in the summer of 2008 that the
surrounding area and economy. Council (£30,000), Northamptonshire Upper Heyford site was too dangerous
Kettering’s National Volleyball Centre is Enterprise (£30,000), the East Midlands to continue using as a training base.
a good example: a space that was original- Development Agency (£20,000) and a Luckily, this decision coincided with a
ly constructed nearly 20 years ago as part contribution to the new equipment from large-scale volunteer conference held at
of a leisure and conferencing complex Pte Ltd/Schelde International (£5,000). the Kettering Conference Centre. Craig
was reborn as a hub of national sporting The launch of the national centre was Handford, head of technical development
pride last November. especially poignant given Volleyball and Excel (performance prgramme) at
The new centre supports efforts to England’s past. Previously, players and Volleyball England, said: “When we saw
boost the country’s participation in sport the centre our immediate thought was
in the run up to the London 2012 Olym- The centre is home to the England squads that it could be expanded to hold four
pics and Paralympics. David Atkinson, and GB Paralympic Sitting programme full-size international volleyball courts.”
managing director of Kettering Confer- Kettering was also an attractive pros-
ence Centre, said: “Kettering Conference pect thanks to its location at the centre
Centre is well known in the region and of England with superb links by road, rail
now with the National Volleyball Centre, and air. The site already had sport and
we have national status.” theatre facilities, with the potential to
create accommodation space for the ath-
Team work letes too. Consequently, the turn-around
Volleyball England, the recognised of the project was remarkably rapid.
national governing body (NGB) for vol- Minister for Sport Gerry Sutcliffe
leyball in all its forms, teamed up with said: “The opening of the centre just six
Kettering Conference Centre to create months into Volleyball England’s new
the base for training and competition for strategic plan shows the sport’s ambition
the national men’s, women’s, junior and to grow and form strong partnerships.”
sitting volleyball teams. The new centre
has already proved invaluable for its role Specific Requirements
in launching Volleyball England’s Can The centre had een identified by the
You Dig It campaign, which aims to get London Organising Committee of the
thousands more young people playing Olympic Games as a potential train-
volleyball in the coming years. ing venue for the 2012 Olympic and
34 Read Sports Management online
sportsmanagement.co.uk/digital Issue 1 2010 © cybertrek 2010
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