14 Oct 2016
Sheffield sports centre opens following £16m “legacy revamp”
BY Tom Walker
Graves Health & Sports Centre in Sheffield has reopened to the public following a £16m redevelopment, which will see it become part of the National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine (NCSEM) initiative – a London 2012 legacy project.
Improvements at the centre include 10 outdoor and eight indoor tennis courts, a 100-station health club with exercise and dance studios, a six-lane 25m swimming pool, a separate learner pool and a gymnastics and trampolining centre.
Owned by Sheffield City Council (SCC), the centre will be managed by Places for People Leisure.
The centre was opened by former London 2012 chief Lord Coe, who visited the centre as part of his tour of the city to see first-hand how Sheffield is playing a “key role in delivering a sport, health and wellbeing legacy”.
Councillor Mary Lea, SCC cabinet member for culture, sport and leisure, said: “We know many people have been inspired by the Olympics and Paralympics and can proudly say that Sheffield has the great facilities on offer to help people achieve those dreams and aspirations.
“Through our excellent partnerships with the NCSEM, Sport England and Places for People Leisure we’re providing high quality and affordability across a wide variety of activities, plus expert health advice all under one roof.
“Graves is the result of our shared commitment to a healthier population and will play a big part in helping us achieve our goal to be the most active city in the UK by 2020."
Sport England provided £2.75m (US$3.6m, €3.2m) towards the Graves project from its Iconic Facilities fund and the centre, which has taken 15 months to build, is on the same site as a new football ‘hub’ with outdoor football pitches, built in conjunction with the FA.
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