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Plans for £150k investment in new netball facilities submitted

17/12/2020

The University of Wolverhampton has submitted a planning application to Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council to upgrade outdoor courts at its Walsall Campus into a high quality netball facility.

The investment is part of a long-term partnership agreement between the University and the Netball West Midlands Regional Board. 

The proposed investment of £150,000 will create a new high specification anti-slip netball surface, four Netball standard courts, purpose built floodlighting and a spectator seating area.

Working alongside new and existing partners and other external bodies, the facility will become a central hub for netball in the local and wider community, providing access and opportunities to participate in grassroots level netball including social, recreational and competitive level netball for all ages and abilities.

The facility is also being developed to support the delivery of educational purposes including coach education and academic teaching.

Planning permission has been submitted and, if approved, work will start on the new facility in the early spring of 2021.

Richard Medcalf, Director at the University’s Institute of Human Sciences, said: “We are delighted that the university is continuing to upgrade its sports facilities at Walsall Campus.

 “The enhancement of these facilities will ensure that our student experience, particularly in sport, is that of the very highest calibre. Through this investment, I am confident we can really enhance all netball activity in alignment with our partners, England Netball and Netball West Midlands.”

Chair of Netball West Midlands Regional Board, Kerrie Jones, said: “Having been part of the netball review and in current conversations around the development of netball and on behalf of the West Midlands Regional Board, it’s wonderful to see the University’s proposal to invest and redevelop the outdoor courts into a netball specific facility.

“The future plan is clear for the development of all levels of netball at the university site and both England Netball and the regional board hope to further enhance opportunities for people to participate in netball across the local community and we believe that this facility will drive that participation."

The potential investment in netball further cements the University’s ambition to be a leading player in Higher Education sport across the five focus sports of Football, Futsal, Netball, Judo and Basketball.  The new investment further links into the new sports curriculum for degree courses including its new Sports Coaching and Performance undergraduate qualification, giving students the opportunity to see and be part of an elite sport environment.

Walsall Campus is an internationally renowned venue for elite international sport and is a base for the British Judo Association’s Centre of Excellence which sits alongside the University’s sports education and research facilities supporting the sports degrees on offer. The Campus will also host Team Wales for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

WLV Sport offers a range of sport related Undergraduate degrees including Football Coaching and Performance, Sport Business Management, Sport and Exercise Science, Physical Education and School Sport, Sports Coaching and Master’s degrees in Sport and Exercise and Strength and Conditioning.

Anyone interested in studying Sport at the University should register for one of the Virtual Open Days taking place in 2021.

Picture caption from left to right: Ocean Faure-Lewis (Interior Design Degree student), Geoff Layer (Vice-Chancellor at the University), Kerrie Jones (Chair of Netball West Midlands Regional Board) and Cherone Lawrence (Master’s in Education student).

ENDS

For more information please contact the Corporate Communications Team.

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