With a large, highly skilled workforce across our dedicated design, planning, construction and maintenance divisions, S&C Slatter are highly experienced in sports hub construction for schools, sports clubs, councils, and universities.
Read on to learn more about sports hub construction or speak with us to discuss your project.
Recognised as Category A Willmott Dixon Supply Chain Partners, we work closely with a range of partners and stakeholders, collaborating at every level, providing a seamless transition through every stage of the process.
With 30 years’ experience in sports construction, we work with world-leading sports surface manufacturers to deliver facilities certified to various international standards, whether it be FIFA Quality Pro, World Rugby Regulation 22, FIH Global Elite, UK Athletics or FA National Ground Grading.
Our large scale, notable projects include The Elmbridge Xcel Sports Hub, Royal Holloway University of London Sports Centre and Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate Sports Village. We’re always happy to discuss the development of new sporting hubs and offer a free site visit and consultation.
Please call or email for an informal chat about your needs.
We can carry out a full or partial redevelopment of sports hub facilities that have come to the end of their useful life. Whether you’re looking to upgrade or better use the available space, we can advise on redesign and refurbishment opportunities to utilise existing infrastructure whilst implementing new surfacing to suit your needs.
Prior to any need for refurbishment, maintenance will maximise the lifespan of your facilities, whilst ensuring optimum performance and safety. Our dedicated maintenance division work with major leisure operators, universities, clubs and schools across the country, and can advise on what steps can be taken to repair and refresh your facilities, to delay the need for refurbishment.
A sports hub or sports centre is a site with multiple sporting facilities, whether pitches, courts and/or athletics tracks, allowing for a variety of sports to be played.
Facilities may include:
Our in-house teams can take care of all aspects of your sports hub construction, from design and planning through to sports construction, access roads and additional infrastructure. Call us to discuss your needs.
The process of sports hub construction can be simplified into a number of key stages.
1. Design and planning
Design development of the sporting complex, based on necessary surveys and inspections ready for the planning application. Once planning permission is granted, technical drawings are finalised and specifications are produced ready for construction.
2. Environmental considerations
To minimise the impact of your facilities on the environment, a number of environmental mitigations can be incorporated in the design and build. This may include water management, infill migration and construction methods.
3. Health and safety
Our in-house health and safety manage will devise a thorough plan, employing the latest best practice to meet all legislative requirements to ensure a safe on-site environment.
4. Earthworks
Groundworks will be undertaken to prepare the land and foundations for your new facilities. This will incorporate the necessary surveys, reports and designs approved in the design and planning stage.
5. Drainage
Drainage will be tailored to each individual pitch, track or court and surface, whilst utilising the most efficient design across the site as a whole
6. Sub-base and base
Design and materials used in any sub-base or base will depend on the type of surface being constructed, and will be chosen to best support the requirements of each pitch, court or track system.
7. Shock pad or shock absorbency layer (if applicable)
Certain facilities, such as artificial rugby pitches, will require a shockpad to be laid under the surface of the pitch.
8. Sports surface
This is the stage where the ‘top-layer’ or ‘carpet’ of any synthetic sports surface will be laid, such as artificial turf, polymeric or macadam surfacing.
9. Civil engineering
The supporting elements of the sports hub essential for access and use. This includes the construction of car parks, access roadways and pathways.
10. Ancillary equipment
As well as sports equipment (goals, netting, flags), this includes the design and installation of fencing, floodlighting, spectator areas and sports pavilions.
This will depend entirely on the size and scope of facilities you wish to include. The biggest factors in price will be the number of pitches, courts and/or athletics facilities you plan to include, as well as the chosen surface types.
Additional factors include:
For average costs per sports facility type, please see our individual facility pages.
Get in touch if you’d like an example breakdown of costs for a sporting complex based on your requirements.
Commonly consisting of facilities with multiple uses, sizes and surface types, it’s important that each element of a sports hub receives the same standard of maintenance.
If regular and appropriate maintenance isn’t delivered, potential hazards can be missed and faults can occur, leading to issues with drainage, safety and performance.
A well-designed maintenance programme should be delivered based on individual surface types, locations and hours of use.
Our dedicated maintenance division work with over 600 sites nationwide and can create a bespoke maintenance program for your sports centre, carrying out expert repairs when required.
Depending on the facilities you have on offer – as well as their intended use, there are a number of certifications you may want to achieve, which will be incorporated into the design and construction of your sports hub.
We design and construct facilities to the standards required of national and international governing bodies. Testing costs will be incorporated into the design and build of the facilities and will be carried out by trusted independent laboratories.
Available testing includes:
The cost of testing varies by governing body and will be between £1500 – £5000 per certification, depending on the sport and standard.
Whilst many clients fund sports facilities for sports hubs through capital spend or private funding, there are a number of funding options available to organisations who don’t have the option to use capital spend.
For example, you may find that your local or regional council is able to offer grants to contribute towards the cost.
If you’re ineligible for grant funding, then financing your facilities may be an option, such as through an operating lease or a hire purchase agreement. Find out more on our funding page.
Clients certainly appreciate our expert, one stop, single delivery solution which concentrates responsibilities, and both simplifies and maximises effective communication.
With all the key design, technical, delivery and management project elements under a single focussed control, you benefit from the inbuilt efficiencies and cost advantages which accrue in comparison to a more ‘segmented’ approach.
We provide a truly inclusive strategy which evaluates the impacts of each project phase both as individual centres and as part of the whole.
Thus, we ensure that decisions are not isolated from the requirements of the ‘bigger picture’ but are linked to create a more cohesive and balanced approach.
At an operational level the economies of using equipment, resources and management expertise across a multi-functional contract rather than duplicating the same resources for different operational areas is an obvious gain.
Our technical skills are evident and proven through our growing portfolio of Sports Hubs successfully completed for numerous high-profile clients. These include:
At the Elmbridge Xcel Sports Hub:
For New River Sport & Fitness:
Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate Sports Village:
At Royal Holloway University of London Sports Centre:
Hart Leisure Centre:
S&C Slatter are experts in the design, construction and maintenance of sports hubs. With 30 years’ experience in the sports construction industry, we work closely with the leisure, education and professional sports sectors to produce first-class facilities that will give you the maximum return on investment.
If you have any further questions on sports hub construction, or would like to discuss your project, please get in touch.
For more information call 01635 34521 or email enquiries@slattersportsconstruction.com
