A former school site in Leeds is poised for transformation into a cutting-edge community sports hub.
The proposed development, which will occupy the site previously home to Matthew Murray High School in Holbeck, received approval on Thursday, June 6, during a meeting of Leeds City Council’s South and West plans panel. Construction is slated to begin next year on this council-led initiative. The project plans include three full-size artificial grass football pitches, two multi-use games areas, and a two-story building that will house changing rooms, a gym, and a café.
Additionally, the facility will incorporate a GP surgery and a pharmacy, enhancing the broad health and wellbeing offerings for the community. Additional features of the new community sports hub in Leeds will include a children’s play area and enhancements to existing green spaces across the 6.3-hectare site, located off Brown Lane East and Ingram Road. Plans also include the construction of outdoor seating areas, footpaths, and a segregated cycle route. Parking facilities will be expanded with a 267-space car park and numerous bike storage bays.
This development is part of the broader Parklife programme, a national initiative aimed at enhancing grassroots football facilities. The program benefits from funding by the Football Association, the Premier League, Sport England, the Department for Culture, Media & Sport, and the Football Foundation charity. It encompasses three new sports hubs scheduled for Leeds.
Councillor Salma Arif, Leeds City Council’s executive member for adult social care, active lifestyles and culture said:
“This is a key milestone for a scheme that underlines our commitment to the health and wellbeing of everyone living in Leeds. The new hub will be a significant asset, not just for residents in Holbeck but also those in surrounding areas and indeed the whole of south Leeds.
“Crucially, its facilities will be affordable and accessible for all, providing more opportunities for the kind of physical activity and exercise that has really important health benefits. It will also have a positive social impact by bringing people together, whether that’s through participating in sport or simply spending time in its attractive outdoor spaces. I look forward to seeing the development taking shape and eventually making a lasting difference to Holbeck and Leeds.”
Funding for the new sports hub will come from various sources, primarily through external grants. Once constructed, the hub will be leased to a not-for-profit trust and operated by an external management company. The profits generated will be reinvested into enhancing other community football facilities throughout Leeds, addressing the current shortage of full-size artificial pitches.
In the past three years, approximately 5,000 football matches in Leeds were postponed due to waterlogged or otherwise unusable natural turf pitches. Additional Parklife hubs are in development at Thorpe Park in east Leeds and Woodhall Playing Fields near Pudsey, with another already operational at Bodington Playing Fields in Adel.
