University to invest £8 million in sport

The investment will help ensure the University has world-class sports facilities for its students, staff and for the local community. The University is aiming for work to start this summer, to be completed early in 2013.

Thanks to the refurbishment, Exeter will be home to one of the UK’s largest indoor tennis centres. The indoor tennis and netball courts will be covered with a flexible structure, allowing the space to be transformed from four to ten indoor courts. Outdoors, the hockey pitch will be re-surfaced to ensure it remains Olympic standard, being the only pitch of its type in the region.

The new purpose-built health and fitness studio will provide over 200 exercise stations. As well as traditional equipment, such as treadmills, rowing machines and weights, the studio will feature the latest innovations in sports conditioning, including kinesis, interactive exercise programmes and thumb print access control.

A new exercise studio will be dedicated to high-impact static bike exercise classes, such as spinning. Its high-quality sound and lighting equipment will be powered by the bikes, making it carbon neutral. A second studio will be air conditioned with a sprung floor and suitable for a whole range of exercise classes, from yoga to Zumba.

The environment for athletes and spectators will be improved thanks to a new entrance, a cafe and a new suite of changing rooms.

University of Exeter Director of Sport and Student Activities Phil Attwell said: “We are really excited about our plans to develop world-class sports facilities for the University of Exeter. This will be a huge boost for our students – whether they are keen athletes or just want to stay fit and active – and will help Exeter maintain its reputation as one of the UK’s top ten universities. The refurbishment will also benefit the wider community of Exeter and we very much look forward to welcoming local people to enjoy the new facilities.”

Athletic Union President Beth Hampson said: “This investment is fantastic news and will enhance the experience for all students. It will benefit those who just want to use health and fitness facilities as well as dramatically helping club activity.”

The University is currently investing £350 million in its campuses in Exeter and Cornwall.