MASSIVE BOOST FOR ATHLETICS IN LONDON

LEE VALLEY ATHLETICS CENTRE OFFICIALLY OPENED

•Lee Valley Athletics Centre – a major training facility for elite athletes

•First indoor 200m track for London & South of England

•Funded by DCMS, Sport England Lottery Funding and Lee Valley Regional Park Authority

•Delivered on time and on budget

The Lee Valley Athletics Centre - a major new training venue for the capital and the South East located in Enfield, North London - was officially opened by Culture Secretary and Olympic Minister Tessa Jowell today (Tuesday 16 January 2007).

The facility is the largest indoor and outdoor athletics centre serving London and the South East and houses the only indoor 200 metre six lane track in the South of England.  It also comprises a 130 metre sprint straight, permanent seating for 500 spectators both inside and out and full jumps and throws capacity.  In addition the Centre houses physiotherapy and strength and conditioning rooms which are run by the English Institute of Sport, providing vital professional support to the development of elite athletes.

The Centre has improved training opportunities for London’s potential 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games competitors and provided a new home for Enfield and Haringey Athletic Club.  It also vastly improves facilities for community use by athletes of all abilities.

The £16 million Centre fills a gap identified by UK Athletics in the provision of London’s sports facilities and is part of a long term solution for athletics development in the region.  The Centre has been funded by £4 million from the DCMS Capital Modernisation Fund, £7 million from Sport England (via the National Lottery), and £5 million secured by UK Athletics and the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority (LVRPA). Full revenue funding and long term management is also being provided by LVRPA, the landowner.

Designed by David Morley Architects, the eye catching centre makes the maximum use of natural light and ventilation thereby saving energy and creating the optimum training environment for athletes.

The Centre brings a major regional training facility within reach of people in London and the South East that complements the existing major indoor centres at Loughborough, Bath, Manchester, Cardiff, Sheffield, Birmingham and Grangemouth, and will also be a focal point for indoor competition and community use.    Among the packed calendar of competition events the Centre will host the British Masters Championships in March.

Tessa Jowell, Culture Secretary and Olympic Minister said:

'The Lee Valley Athletics Centre is a fantastic new facility for London and the South East.  Delivered on time and to budget this is a further important milestone as we move towards 2012.'

Seb Coe, Chairman of London 2012, who ran for Haringey Athletics Club in the 1980’s, said:

'I am delighted that my former club has gained a world class new sporting home that will help it nurture new generations of Olympians and Paralympians.  The Lee Valley Athletics Centre brings cutting edge facilities within reach of millions of Londoners and people in the South East.  There has never been a better time for people of all abilities to give athletics a try.'

Shaun Dawson, Chief Executive of Lee Valley Regional Park Authority said:

‘The Lee Valley Athletics Centre brings a world class training facility to the Lee Valley, a major location for growth and regeneration which is at the heart of the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.  The Centre provides cutting edge facilities for high performance athletes and also for schools, clubs and communities from across North London, Essex and Hertfordshire.  This is an excellent example of public bodies coming together to create a valuable resource that without that partnership would not be possible.’

David Moorcroft, Chief Executive of UK Athletics said:

’The Lee Valley Athletics Centre is a cornerstone of our indoor provision for both London and the UK as a whole. London is a real hot bed of athletic talent and the region often provides up to 40 per cent of the GB athletics team.

‘The London indoor facilities jigsaw is now coming together and athletes of all levels will benefit from this fantastic facility.’

Steve Baddeley, Interim Chief Executive of Sport England said:

‘The new athletics centre is a state of the art facility, which we hope will provide an exciting range of opportunities for the local community and talented athletes.

‘Sport England's investment in the project is part of our commitment to get the nation active through sport, and athletics centres such as the Lee Valley Athletics Centre  provide an excellent environment for local schools and clubs and  are an  ideal  way of engaging more people locally in sport  as well as giving young budding athletes the chance to develop their talent. It is a fantastic example of placing sport at the heart of the community and we hope the community will be inspired to use the facilities for many years to come.’

Tim Newenham, Regional Manager - London and East, English Institute of Sport said

“The opening of the EIS High Performance Centre at Lee Valley is a huge boost for athletes in the London region.  The range of support services made available under one roof ensures that athletes training here will have the maximum chance of success on the world stage. We are particularly excited to be working with the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority to provide our best athletes with the highest level of support to ensure international success leading up to 2012.”

The club room in the LVAC has also been dedicated to the memory of Ron Pickering who….

NOTES FOR EDITORS

Lee Valley Regional Park Authority

The Lee Valley Regional Park Authority (LVRPA) is an environmental regeneration authority responsible for managing and developing the 10,000 acre linear Lee Valley Regional Park - the only Regional Park serving London, Hertfordshire and Essex.  The 26 mile long Lee Valley Regional Park serves as a strategic link providing green spaces and leisure and sports facilities for the region.

LVRPA is responsible for regenerating derelict and neglected land into high quality public open spaces and wildlife habitats of ecological importance.

LVRPA is creating a zone of sporting excellence throughout the Lee Valley.  It has delivered the £16 million Lee Valley Athletics Centre and is working with partners to deliver a sustainable Olympic legacy for the region.  LVRPA has also committed to fund the legacy Velodrome to create a regionally important VeloPark comprising all elements of cycling and the White Water Canoe Slalom Course as a regional centre for canoeing.  

UK Athletics

Descriptor to be inserted if required

Department for Culture Media and Sport

For more information about the DCMS please visit: www.culture.gov.uk

Sport England

Sport England is working to create an active nation through sport, providing advice to partners, investing in community sport and promoting sport and its benefits. Our aim is to increase the number of people participating in sport and active recreation by around 2 million by 2012 with specific focus on hard to reach groups that are currently under-represented. Sport England is a non-departmental public body that distributes both Lottery and public funding to develop community sport.  

English Institute of Sport

Descriptor to be inserted if required

•Materials:

In addition to this press release there is a briefing sheet available which gives more detail about the LVAC, Lee Valley Regional Park Authority and images of the new Centre.

•Contact details:

Lee Valley Regional Park Authority

Philippa Mathewson, Head of PR & Communications on: 01992 709881 or mobile: 07793 773540

E-mail – pmathewson@leevaleypark.org.uk

or

Liz Loly, PR Officer on: 01992 709871 or mobile: 07920 563 971

E-mail - lloly@leevalleypark.org.uk

UK Athletics

Hannah Hore, Media Officer on: 0870 998 6701 or mobile: 07718 526 363.

E-mail - hhore@ukathletics.org.uk

DCMS

Richard Warburton, Senior Press Officer on: 020 7211 6970

E-mail – RICHARD.WARBURTON@Culture.gsi.gov.uk

Sport England

Alex Russell on 02072731866 or mobile: 07796340896

E-Mail – alex.russell@sportengland.org

or

Shareena Ali, London Communications Manager on: 02072731963 or mobile: 07956145708

-Ends-