Sportspark is hosting a one off promotion to celebrate its 10th official anniversary. Sportspark, based at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, is the UK’s largest indoor sports centre. Over the past decade the Sportspark has welcomed over 10 million visitors. Today visitor figures are in the region of 1.35 million a year.

In 1990, the University appointed Keith Nicholls as the University’s Director of Physical Education and Sport and tasked him with improving the range and quality of sports facilities on the campus and finding funding from external sources.

The initial stage involved the University taking over financial and managerial responsibility for the County Athletics Track from the Trust set up to construct it. To meet the cost of operating the track additional land was leased to construct, with University and Sport England funding, two synthetic grass pitches. The combined facility brought in the revenue needed to operate the Track and provide the first community synthetic grass pitches in the city.

Using these as a base with the aid of local business and community leaders a proposal was developed for a major indoor sports complex with a pool adjacent to the track.

After considerable negotiations Sportspark secured a £14.3million Lottery grant which was the largest ever made for a community sports facility. A further £3m was funded by the University of East Anglia as well as local organisations and individuals. The original annual usage target was 750,000 visits, but in the first year they exceeded 1 million.

Sportspark is a not for profit organisation operating without any subsidies and reinvests any operating surpluses in extending facilities and services. Since opening it has invested £8m in another indoor arena, floodlit Tennis and Netball courts, a 5-a-side Soccerpark and three additional 7-a-side 3G pitches. A fully equipped Olympic Gymnastics Centre is currently being built and is due to open in September.

Sportspark is now one of the largest and most heavily used sports complexes in the UK. Its ground breaking design and programming has attracted visitors not just from the UK but also from China, Australia, and many European countries looking to see the reasons for its success. The initial Lottery grant was the catalyst for the development of this unique community sports facility, able to operate without subsidy, yet provide affordable access across a huge range of facilities.

In February 2001, Sportspark was officially opened by HRH the Princess Royal, a keen sportswoman herself, with a career as a competitor and as a representative of sporting bodies. To celebrate the 10th anniversary Sportspark is running a promotion between 13th and 18th February. During that time, any customer who brings in their lottery tickets for the draw on Saturday 12th February will receive a discount to the value of their ticket, up to the value of £10.

Director of Sportspark, Keith Nicholls said: “We have had a tremendous first ten years at Sportspark. We have hosted national and international events and we even had two world records broken in our pool. Our customers have also helped us raise thousands of pounds for charity through the Starlight Walk and by making other donations.”


 “One of the conditions of being awarded the lottery money was to provide facilities that the local community could easily enjoy. We have successfully encouraged thousands of non-active people to become active with clear benefits for them as individuals. This has been achieved by a combination of a building that is like a supermarket of sport showing what is on offer and keeping prices affordable yet sustainable. We are constantly looking at ways to develop and reinvest and the new facilities added this year will give our customers even more choice.”

He added: “This promotion not only supports the National Lottery, without whose grant we would not be here, but it also gives something back to our local community who have supported us over the last ten years.”

Sport England’s Chair, Richard Lewis said: “The amazing success of Sportspark over the last ten years is a testament to the power of National Lottery funding – the facility has become a beacon in the local community with millions of hours of sport played and enjoyed.  It’s great that during the promotion, users of Sportspark can enjoy the fantastic facilities at a reduced price whilst raising money for the Lottery good causes.”

For more information about Sportspark visit www.sportspark.co.uk