Campus Sports Hub in the works for Autumn 2018

Plans for a new Sports Hub on campus have been revealed, with the the University recently requesting planning permission to build the new multi-million pound sports centre, currently awaiting approval from Warwick District Council.

If given the go-ahead, the Hub will be situated in the Cryfield Village area of campus and should be completed by Autumn 2018.

The centre is set to include a sports hall, a swimming pool, fitness suites, climbing and bouldering walls and flexible studio spaces, as well as squash courts, outdoor 3G sports pitches and netball courts. The plans also feature a café.

Replacing all current sporting facilities on campus, the Hub will be open to the public via a paid-membership scheme and will also become the new official training ground of Coventry’s Wasps Netball super-league team.

The plans for the Sports Hub tie in with the University’s goal of becoming the “most physically active campus community in the UK by 2020”.

Recent attempts of fulfilling this aim include an active campus roadshow which took place in November and the trial of treadmill desks to improve the fitness of the University’s staff.

A University spokesperson has stated: “The University is investing in new sports and wellness facilities to improve the level and quantity of facilities for the students and staff of the University.”

Sports Officer Ted Crownson commented: “The plans for the new Sports Hub are incredibly exciting and it’s great to see the University taking the first (of hopefully many) steps to make sport, well-being and student experience a priority at Warwick.

“Although, I’m very disappointed that our proposed new facilities will be among the best for Universities in the country, as I won’t be here to use them!”.

The Sports Hub is not the only new development planned for campus. Vice-Chancellor Stuart Croft has expressed an aim to open a new academic building every year from now until at least 2023, as well as redeveloping the Arts Centre and building more student accommodation.