Under starter’s orders for the Surrey Sports Park
Wednesday 14 April 2010
Almost two years after construction started on site, the Surrey Sports Park is to open its doors for business for the first time on Monday 19 April. The multi million pound Sports Park is a world class venue that will put Surrey firmly on the global sporting stage during what is one of the most exciting sporting decades for the country.
The Surrey Sports Park, owned by the University of Surrey, has been developed with varied audiences in mind. The 14,000 students enrolled at the University have been central to the facility’s development, but the local community and the desire to attract elite athletes and high performance teams have also been important to the vision of the Sports Park.
The array of facilities on offer is impressive, starting with the 50m swimming pool. The pool, with a fully traversable boom which allows the pool to be split into two smaller 25m pools, the pool floor is also adjustable allowing for a wide range of activities to be catered for, including water polo, swimming lessons and top standard swimming.
The three Sports Arenas have been built to the very highest specification in line with National Governing Body standards across all the sports that they will host. Spectators going to support Surrey Storm or Guildford Heat will be impressed by the set up, as the main Arena can accommodate almost 1,000 people
External facilities will also impress and include 10 top class grass pitches, three artificial pitches – including a 3G pitch, eight floodlit tennis courts and a 2-lane 60m sprint track, all backed up by well thought through team facilities and changing rooms.
For those that are interested in the social elements of sport, the Surrey Sports Park also houses Europe’s only Starbucks café in a sports venue, plus The Bench Bar a wonderful bar and restaurant. Both areas are set up to make the most of the sporting action, both inside and out, with the addition of big screens to show major sporting events from around the world.
The Sports Park also boasts one of the UK’s finest Health and Fitness Centres, Dance Studios, six squash courts, a spinning studio and The Surrey Human Performance Institute.
The Surrey Sports Park has already launched itself into the top league of UK sports and training facilities, with a number of high-profile teams already choosing to base themselves at the Sports Park. Premiership rugby team Harlequins are the latest team to join the hugely successful Surrey Storm netball team, Guildford City Swimming Club and Guildford Heat in using the world-class complex for their training.
This summer will also see the Sports Park hosting the opening stages of the Women’s Rugby World Cup. Twelve teams from around the world play their qualifying matches in Guildford before moving up to The Stoop for the tournament finale.
Jason Harborow, Chief Executive of the Surrey Sports Park, is confident the facility will continue to attract elite athletes from around the world: “No expense has been spared with the Surrey Sports Park – we have bought in the best equipment we can from around the world. There are a number of firsts for the UK in terms of the kit and equipment we’ve bought in, all with the aim of giving athletes at every level the best possible environment in which to train.
“The Sports Park isn’t just about top class athletes however; this is a facility for the entire local community. We have expanded on what was already a broad programme of dance and exercise classes that we ran in the original University facilities and are confident that the programmes will achieve even greater interest.”
There is a range of flexible membership options available at the Surrey Sports Park, all created to suit differing needs. For more information about the Surrey Sports Park, its facilities, programmes and membership visit www.surreysportspark.co.uk or contact info@surreysportspark.co.uk
Media Enquiries
Peter La, Press Office at the University of Surrey, Tel: +44 (0)1483 689191, or Email mediarelations@surrey.ac.uk
