Leisure Media Issue 3 2009 - Leisure Opportunities

NEWSSportRicky Hatton opens first fitness clubBoxer Ricky Hatton has opened a new£2m health and fitness centre in Hyde,Greater Manchester, following eightmonths in development.Formerly occupied by a print works,the 1,000sq m (10,764sq ft) HattonHealth and Fitness Centre opened on12 May and features an 85-station gymequipped by Cybex, along with twoPower Plate machines.A new floor has also been added toprovide a boxing area, including tworings, bags and speed balls, as well astwo studios offering a range of classes,such as spinning and conditioning.Facilities at the centre, which hadalready secured more than 300 membersahead of its opening, it alsoincludes a reception and refreshmentarea, a sauna and changing rooms.Hatton plans to open further clubs if the pilot site is successfulWellbeing treatments and therapiesare also provided as part of the offering,which also includes a number ofmembership packages.Depending on the success of theHyde site, Hatton is considering thepossibility of rolling out the conceptand opening more sites in the future.Brighton stadiumfunding securedBrighton and Hove Albion Football Clubhas announced that it has secured fullfunding for a new £93m stadium projectat Falmer, East Sussex, after TonyBloom took over as club chair.Bloom will fund the majority ofthe £93m development after replacingprevious chair Dick Knight, whohas stepped down after 12 years inthe position to become the club’s newlife president. The scheme includesa 22,500-seat stadium, which hasbeen designed by London-based KSSArchitects, and will also be fundedusing a number of grants.Buckingham Group Constructionhas started work on the venue afteramended plans were approved by thecity council in February. The stadium isscheduled to open by the end of 2011.Premier League clubs resist downturnThe stadium has been designed by KSSMore than half of the 20 Premier Leagueclubs reported an operating profit duringthe 2007-08 season as the league’scollective revenue increased to nearly£2bn, according to new research.Deloitte’s Annual Review of FootballFinance revealed that Premier Leagueclubs’ revenues had increased by 26per cent compared with 2006-07, andare now expected to break through the£2bn barrier during the 2008-09 seasonHowever, the research also revealedthat the economic downturn is havingan impact on the amount of investorswilling to inject cash into clubs asthe league’s net debt has increased tomore than £3bn.Two thirds of the total net debt hasbeen attributed to the Premier League’stop four clubs – Arsenal, Chelsea,Liverpool and Manchester United –while the cost of players’ wages hasalso contributed.Salary expenditure reached £1.2bnfollowing the largest annual increaserecorded by the Premier League.The complex will feature a sports hall£16m sports centrefor PrestonA £16m sports centre will bebuilt at The University of CentralLancashire (UCL) in Preston to providenew sporting facilities to itsstudents and to local children duringthe school holidays.The new complex will featurea sprung timber sports hall withmore than 300 retractable bleacherseats and a viewing gallery, able toaccommodate regional and nationalsporting events.Activity studios, squash courts,multi-functional spaces and changingrooms will also be built, whilea pre-school complete with sensory,nature and hard play areaswill accommodate up to 90 childrenaged six months to seven years old.A planning application has beensubmitted to Preston City Council.12 Read Leisure Management online leisuremanagement.co.uk/digitalISSUE 3 2009 © cybertrek 2009