Warwick’s brand new £50mil Sports and Wellness hub

After a little over a year of development, Warwick’s new Sports and Wellness hub is finally open. The new Sport centre is now located next to Sherbourne and with its budget of £50 million, students were expecting an impressive result and it’s safe to say that most are satisfied. The new stadium now has a seating area that can fit around a thousand spectators, there is a twelve lane swimming pool with sauna and spa gym, a gym much bigger than the old centre and a large climbing wall that is the focal point of the hub. It definitely ticks all the boxes.

In contrast to the new sports centre, the old one fails in almost every aspect. Although the initial issue with the centre is that is located further away from central campus that most people had hoped, it also means that there is much more space. By placing the hub in the middle of a field, it is surrounded by greenery and serenity and also ensured that the Sport centre was able to be far bigger than before. Also, the centre is developing a new path that will ensure a shorter walk to the hub and you can also use the campus bikes to cycle there if you would prefer.

The building looks even bigger than it already is

When you walk in, the rock climbing and bouldering area, with 15 metre high walls; 3 auto belay systems, instantly towers over you. With one of the only ‘speed climbing’ walls in England, a sport being introduced to the Olympics in 2020, this section alone is world class. The bouldering too, consisting of around a hundred routes reset weekly, outclasses anything the old sports centre could offer.

The high ceilings and open facade of the centre, allows swaths of natural light to enter and ensures that the building looks even bigger than it already is. If you venture forward, then you’ll find that there are also several squash courts and table tennis spots to your left. There is also a giant swimming pool on your right that has a moveable floor and the twelve lanes makes sure that you have more than enough space to enjoy your swim.

There are a multitude of exercise machines that come with mini-screens

The gym, however, might be one of the most impressive aspects of the hub. Situated on the top floor, it has more room than the old centre could fathom. There are a multitude of exercise machines that come with mini-screens that play a video of how to correctly use the machine. There is also a larger designated area for you to work on your core as well as a wall for you to throw weight ball at. The gym has made the smart decision of attaining more squat racks so that you no longer have to wait for ages before getting a go. There are also lots of rooms that are used with the sole intention of holding classes such as yoga, Soulcycle, pilates and you can also use a room when it is free for your personal use.

Aside from the gym, there are several new pitches outside so that more sports team can enjoy more flexible training times. Although the cost of the membership for the new year is not out yet, it costs £110 for an all-inclusive membership for the next three months and if you already have a Warwick sport membership than you can continue using all your privileges at the new centre anyway. Hopefully, this new sport centre ensures that Warwick has an amazing varsity next year and will win again for the 30th consecutive year.