Question & Answers

Who is the Community Sports Arena for?

 

The Community Sports Arena is primarily for the community, and students of Leicester College. Participation sport will comprise nearly 80% of the time the Arena is open, and it will be organized as regular leagues, turn-up-and-play sessions, central venue leagues, camps, school sessions, and taster sessions. There will be qualified coaches on hand at all times, to assist in delivering the sporting activities. The development of young male and female basketball players will comprise about 15% of the time – there is currently no dedicated facility in the City or County to do that for basketball, notwithstanding that, according to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport’s Taking Part Survey (August 2012), basketball is the second most played sport (after football) amongst 11 to 15 years old in the United Kingdom. Sporting events, such as Rider’s games, or junior International basketball matches, will comprise just 6% of the time.

 

Who will own it?

 

The Arena will be owned by a not-for-profit Community Interest Company (CIC). The Leicester Riders will manage it, Leicestershire County Cricket will provide a lease for the land the Arena sits on, and the Leicester College will have allocated block bookings in the Arena, in exchange for a capital contribution to the project.

 

Who gets the profits from the Arena?

 

The Community Sports Arena will be run on a not-for-profit basis. All surpluses will be reinvested in facilities in the Arena, or in community sports out-reach work, in the local area, primarily basketball and cricket related.

 

Why build it at Grace Road?

 

The Leicestershire County Cricket Club has extensive facilities at Grace Road which get utilized effectively only 6 months of the year, and even that utilization is subject to the weather. It is expensive for the Cricket Club to maintain and invest in those facilities with low relative usage. The users of the Community Sports Arena will have access to those facilities, making the all of the assets at Grace Road better able to be maintained and developed. It also reduces the cost of the Arena considerably, because existing facilities at Grace Road do not have to be replicated inside the Arena.

 

Why not build it nearer the city centre?

 

In spite of extensive searching over 15 years, there has been no land identified that could be provided cost effectively, to allow the building of an Indoor arena of this type. In all previous investigations and project feasibility studies, the costs proved prohibitive, which is why, Leicester has never replaced St Margaret’s Baths, Granby Halls, or the cycling velodrome at Saffron Lane.

 

How does it help the County Cricket?

 

In common with all non-Test playing grounds in England, the County Cricket Club has struggled financially in recent years, not helped by the poor summer weather. The Community Sports Arena project and associated developments will go a considerable way towards making the Club more sustainable, by better utilization of its’ assets at Grace Road.

 

How does it help the Riders?

 

The Riders have not had a dedicated home since the closure of Granby Halls by Leicester City Council in 2000. Their current facility, the John Sandford Sports centre, is well passed its’ sell-by date and was closed last summer by DMU. The Rider’s were given a special extension by DMU until the end of April 2013, in order to find a replacement. In April 2013, the builders will move in to gut the facility. The Community Sports Arena will serve as the new home for the Riders.

 

How does it help Leicester College?

 

Leicester College has over 5,600 full time students, 29,000 in total, and currently has just one 3 badminton court sports hall and a fitness suite. The College is actively seeking to grow sports provision and the sports enrichment offer to their students. The Arena will not only increase sporting opportunities for students, but also widen the outreach possibilities across a wide range of the College’s curriculum.

 

Haven’t we got enough indoor sports provision in the City?

 

Absolutely not – Leicester is much under-served. This area (Aylestone, Freemen, Eyres Monsell Wards) is particularly under-served. The Bid to Sport England provides a detailed Needs analysis, demonstrating the clear under-provision. 7 schools in the local area have provided written letters in support of the bid, and have indicated they would wish to use the Arena.

 

Isn’t this Project replicating Crown Hills new cricket facility?

 

No, Crown Hills is primarily targeted at developing players, and for local cricket Clubs in the area. It has high quality cricket nets. There will be no indoor nets in the Community Sports Arena. The cricket played in the Community Sports Arena will be introductory form (called Street Chance) and does not involve a hard cricket ball, pads or nets.

 

Isn’t there already plenty of indoor cricket provision at Grace Road?

 

Yes and the Community Sports Arena will in no way replicate that facility. There will be no indoor nets in the Community Sports Arena. The cricket played in the Community Sports Arena will be introductory form (called Street Chance) and does not involve a hard cricket ball, pads or nets.

 

Why would Sport England Iconic Fund be interested in this project?

 

Because it meets all the objectives in Sport England’s prospectus for the Iconic Fund, and it does so hugely cost effectively – indeed it is hard to imagine any other capital project in the country that could deliver Sport England’s objectives as cost effectively, because of its’ unique partnerships and synergies.

 

Why would Sport England fund professional teams?

 

Simply put, Sport England would not. This project has nothing to do with funding any professional team.

 

Why would Sport England fund Rider’s elite programmes?

 

Sport England does fund talent and elite sport through National Governing Bodies. However, the Iconic Fund is primarily but not exclusively targeted at increasing regular participation in sport. This is the primary objective of the Community Sports Arena, and the projected increase in participation based on the Arena’s Operational Plan, for the Arena is exceptional, particularly amongst Sport England’s key target area – 16 to 25 years old young people. The Arena will coincidently also support talent development amongst young boys and girls, but this takes up a small fraction of the time.

 

Doesn’t Sport England require the backing of two National Governing Bodies for Iconic Bids?

 

Yes, and the Community Sports Arena Bid has the written support of the ECB and England Basketball

 

Isn’t this going to cause traffic problems?

 

The Community Sports Arena will be subject to a full planning application, where these issues will be addressed. Based on preliminary work completed so far, the incremental effects of the Arena on the area will be small.

 

What about car parking?

 

The car parking at Grace Road will be marginally impacted by the build of the Arena. Parking provision in general will be addressed in the full planning application. Based on preliminary work completed so far, the incremental effects of the Arena on parking requirements will be small.

 

Why don’t we build a large scale indoor Arena, like Nottingham’s Ice Arena, the new Arena at Derby’s Pride Park, Sheffield Arena, or the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham?

 

Simply put – there is not the funding available currently, and it is not a priority for the City. All those venues were built by local authorities with significant central Government/ lottery funding support, and there is considerable pressure on all those budgets.