Bisham Abbey sports facilities to get £6 million makeover

These athletes won five gold medals – so if Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre was a country, it would have finished 16th in the medal table at London 2012. It is home to over 100 London 2012 competitors, including our men’s and women’s hockey teams, as well as being a thriving community sports centre – with around 180,000 visits to play sport by local people every year. More than 70% of those who visit Bisham are community users.

The improvements will bring the outdated accommodation block into the 21^st century with 50 new high-quality double rooms with associated catering facilities, replace an existing grass pitch with an artificial grass pitch, redevelop two existing grass pitches and provide a dedicated changing pavilion for these which will help meet the growing demand for year-round sport by the centre’s many users.

Sport England Property Director, Charles Johnston, said: “These improvements are a major part of our plans to ensure Bisham remains at the forefront of sporting excellence for both grassroots participants and elite athletes.”

Local councillors have now backed a planning application submitted by Serco, which manages Bisham Abbey on behalf of Sport England. The cost of the proposed improvements of around £6 million will be met through Sport England National Lottery funding.