University of Birmingham Sport & Fitness to open on 22 May

The University of Birmingham’s new £55million Sport & Fitness club will be opened on Monday 22 May. University of Birmingham Sport & Fitness presents the city’s first 50m pool, as well as an extensive state-of-the-art gym; five activity studios for classes; a squash court complex; a large multi-sports arena; a climbing wall and much more.

Located on the corner of the Edgbaston campus, at the junction of Edgbaston Park Road and Bristol Road, the facility forms a new gateway for the community. Designed to provide unrivalled opportunities for everyone from beginner to elite athletes and supported by a world-class team of trainers and sports experts, it will be home for our many sports clubs. The University’s Performance Centre, which specialises in applied sports science and medicine will also be located within the new facility.

The club welcomes members of the local community as well as University of Birmingham students and staff.

Professor Sir David Eastwood, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Birmingham said: “This is a landmark occasion for the University and the city. We are delighted to be opening the doors to a pioneering facility, which will enhance Birmingham’s existing world-class sporting infrastructure and contribute to the city’s and region’s ambitions to attract global events to Birmingham and the West Midlands.”

For Zena Wooldridge OBE, Director of Sport at the University of Birmingham, the opening of the new facility is the culmination of 10 years’ planning.

"The stature of this new building reflects Birmingham’s position as a leading global sporting University, both academically and across the range of sport and fitness opportunities for participants of all ages and aspirations. It’s a magnificent building and our aim is to provide a fabulous sport and fitness experience, not just via the quality of the facility, but also the huge choice and the quality of programmes and the expertise of our staff. The whole project is designed to enhance the quality of life of our community."

The size and quality of the building will be unrivalled in both the health and fitness, and higher education markets. Materials were sourced from across the world to create an outstanding architectural building, which is designed to highest possible specifications of environmental sustainability and accessibility, including a platform lift into the pool.

University of Birmingham Sport & Fitness will open at 6am on Monday 22 May and continue with normal business hours.

For further enquiries, please contact April Shacklock, +44 (0)121 4147143 / +44 (0)7786 336634.

• Members have been communicated to individually regarding when their membership will begin at University of Birmingham Sport & Fitness. New members can join by contacting the Sales Team sales@sportandfitness.bham.ac.uk / +44(0)121 4144441
• University of Birmingham Sport & Fitness was designed and built by Interserve.
• The University of Birmingham is currently ranked in the top ten universities for sport in the UK. International athletes such as Lily Owsley MBE, Olympic gold medallist in women’s hockey, studies Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences and competes for the University in the British University and Colleges Sport league. 
• The University have also invested in new outdoor sport facilities which are planned to open this year including an athletics track, new pitches and a pavilion. 
• The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions, its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers and teachers and more than 5,000 international students from over 150 countries.