New athletics facility 'on track' for 2014 opening

Posted on 12 June 2014

A new £2m county standard athletics facility at the University of York is on track for completion by the end of the year with the appointment of contractor Thornton Sports.

David Duncan, University of York Registrar; Keith Morris, Head of Sport, University of York; Cassandra Brown, York Sport President; Cllr Sonja Crisp, City of York Council; John Bennett, Thornton Sports Ltd; Malcolm Rogers, UK Athletics; Neil Hunter, City of York Athletic Club (front). Photo: Sarah Bacsich

The joint City of York Council and University of York-funded facility on the University’s Heslington West campus will boost athletics in the city by providing a new high-quality venue for all athletes.

Councillor Sonja Crisp, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Culture and Tourism, City of York Council, said: “Based at the York Sport Centre, University of York, the new facility will feature an eight-lane county standard track meeting UK Athletics and IAAF standards, together with a pavilion and covered seating for 500 spectators.

“This improvement to our city’s sporting infrastructure feeds into our commitment to give residents the facilities to try new sports, take regular exercise and excel in their particular fields. I’m delighted to see it about to take shape.”

Vice-Chancellor of the University of York, Professor Koen Lamberts, said: “The new athletics track will provide a fantastic new resource for athletes in York including our students and local athletics club members. Together with other developments such as York Sport Village, with its competition standard pool, cycle track and new outdoor Velodrome, it demonstrates our commitment to ‘inspire activity’ and in doing so to promote the health and well-being of people across the city.”

Malcolm Rogers, Regional Facilities Coordinator for UK Athletics, said: “UK Athletics is delighted that the University of York and City of York Council is making a new stadium a reality, recognising the contribution which higher education institutions make to talent development and demand for athletics in York. It is great to see a university working in close cooperation with our facilities team having the vision and ambition to build new stadia benefiting elite athletes and grassroots clubs alike."

While available to all groups, the new facility is providing a new home for the City of York Athletic Club which is vacating the Huntington Stadium.

Neil Hunter, Chair of the City of York Athletic Club, said: “We are delighted that work has started on the new athletics facility as it will transform athletics in York for generations to come. We are also excited about working in partnership with the University, whose facilities are first class, as this will allow York athletes to reach their full potential. It is fantastic to see the City of York Council-supported project coming to fruition as specified.”

John Bennett, Chief Estimator, Thornton Sports Ltd, said:“Our experienced team are looking forward to delivering this fantastic new facility to add to our list of prestigious athletics track installations. The new track will incorporate an IAAF certified ‘Polyflex 950/3’ sandwichpolymeric system which will provide the facility with an elite level surface. This is the same type of system as we installed for the US Olympic Team leading up to London 2012 at their Mile End Stadium athletics training base. We are sure that the new facility will help to produce future medal winners, and also provide the platform for athletes of all abilities to participate.”

Using the infrastructure on the Heslington West complex has allowed costs to be kept to a minimum, as well as allowing a short construction schedule. It also means York Athletic Club will be able to vacate Huntington Stadium between seasons, causing minimal disruption to its sporting programme.