sport £3m boost for Midlands projects


Culture secretary Jeremy Hunt has announced that £3m is to be invested by Sport England in two new facilities across the West Midlands. A £1.5m grant has been


confirmed for both Worcester Community Sports Arena and Dawley Sports and Learning Community, Telford, through the Iconic Facilities fund. Te University of Worcester


is behind the city’s new £10m venue, which has been designed by Robert Limbrick Architects and is being deliv- ered by Willmott Dixon. Worcester Community Sport Arena is due to


open in spring 2012 and will include a 12-court sports hall; a centre of excellence for disability sport; and seating for up to 1,850 spectators. Meanwhile, Birse is due to start construction


work on the new Kier Moss-designed Dawley Sports and Learning Community next year. It


Worcester Community Sports Arena is to open its doors in spring 2012


will boast an eight-court sports hall; a fitness suite; and a national-standard BMX track. Sport England chief executive Jennie Price


said: “From sporting beginners to experts, everyone in the Telford and Worcester areas can now look forward to playing sport in world-class facilities.”


Te new resource aims to increase participation Spurs set to return to private ownership?


Tottenham Hotspur Football Club (THFC) plans to de- list from the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) in a bid to raise funding for its sta- dium redevelopment plans. In a statement issued to


the London Stock Exchange on 16 November, the club said its listing was “restricting” its ability to raise the necessary backing for its proposals. A new 56,250-seat stadium


designed by KSS Group is at the heart of THFC’s plans for the Northumberland Development Project, which will also help regenerate the surrounding area. However, recent reports suggested the club is seeking to increase that capacity to more than 60,000. THFC chair Daniel Levy said: “Increasing the capacity of the club’s stadium is a key factor


Te Premier League club is looking to kick-start its development plans


in the continued development and success of the club and will involve the company in con- siderable additional capital expenditure. “Given this requirement, we believe that the


AIM listing restricts our ability to secure fund- ing for its future development.”


Ealing Council backs £1m sports pavilion proposals


Ealing Council has backed plans for a new £1m sports pavilion at Lord Halsbury Memorial playing fields in Northolt, which will replace a former facility destroyed by fire in April. Facilities will include changing rooms, a community space, a social area and a meeting


© CYBERTREK 2011


room, with the flexible design of the venue to enable it to host a range of different events. Larkspur Rovers Football Club and Northolt


Amateur Boxing Club are the two groups that are expected to be users of the pavilion, with work scheduled to begin on site in May 2012.


Twitter: @leisureopps


New sports academy to launch in Walsall


Walsall Adult and Community College (WACC) is to launch a virtual sports acad- emy for 16-to-18-year-olds in partnership with Walsall Football Club. WACC Sports Academy will commence


in January and provide young people with a six-month vocational and practical course in a sports-related environment. Te initiative is aimed at those not in


employment, education or training, with qualifications to include a City and Guilds Level 2 Certificate in Sports and a Level 1 Sports Leaders Award, among others.


Read Leisure Opportunities online: www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/digital 3


New online sports database for Londoners


Get Active London, a new online data- base of sports clubs, venues and activities spanning the capital, has been developed to increase participation in regular exercise. Te project is led by the five Pro-Active


London Partnerships, which are working with 31 boroughs and 46 national governing bodies to offer more than 6,800 opportuni- ties and help address a lack of information seen as a main barrier to physical activity. Get Active London is free for people to


search for activities across the capital, as well as for sports providers to advertise physical activity opportunities.


ISC recognition for Rugby League Ireland


Rugby League Ireland’s (RLI) application to be officially recognised as a national sport- ing body has been approved by the Irish Sports Council (ISC). Te organisation, which oversees domes-


tic rugby league competitions in Ireland, started the application process in 2009 and received ISC approval on 1 November. Gordon Matthews, general manager of


the RLI, said: “Rugby league has seen a large growth in Ireland over the last couple of years and we are hopeful of that growth continuing in the future.”


image: s finn/shutterstock.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24