Work has begun on East Manchester’s Belle Vue Sports Village on one of the city’s most popular historical tourism and leisure sites.
The development will bring national centres for both speedway and basketball to Manchester, along with a new National Speedway Academy that will look to develop the next generation of riders.
There will also be two new 3G artificial grass pitches and a programme of modernisation to the Belle Vue Leisure Centre. The improvements will support a new programme of community rugby league and football, as well as provide St Peter’s RC High School with state of the art facilities for curriculum and extra curriculum PE and sport.
The purpose built speedway venue, boasting a 1,842 seat grandstand, will be capable of hosting both national and international race meetings, attracting some of the world’s best riders to east Manchester.
The National Speedway Stadium will be a facility of national and international significance and will provide a new home to historic Belle Vue Aces, who currently share the existing track with greyhound racing.
The National Speedway Academy will also make Manchester a centre of excellence, encouraging grass roots development of new local speedway talent. This will include riding, technical and mechanical skills in both a practical and classroom setting.
The National Basketball Performance Centre will include three high performance basketball courts, including a FIBA standard show court with a capacity for 2,000 seats.
The centre will be home to a number of Basketball England’s national teams and will be suitable for training camps as well as international games and tournaments. The centre will also host regional and national Basketball England events, and will be home to a new community programme for players of all ages and abilities.
The centre aims to increase participation in the sport and will provide opportunities for young players with talent to progress through the performance system. .
Cllr Jeff Smith, Manchester City Council’s executive member for housing and regeneration, said: “After months of planning it always a thrill to visit a project at the beginning of construction – especially when it’s as significant a development as this. To welcome two national centres to Manchester at one site is remarkable.
“East Manchester is already an internationally recognised destination for sport and leisure, and Belle Vue Sports Village will only add that reputation. But it will also stand out on its own and help to transform this part of the city.”
