TWO stars of track and field have given their seal of approval to the new Middlesbrough Sports Village as the development nears completion.
The £18 million complex is due to open officially next month with state of the art facilities set to draw athletes of all ages and abilities from far and wide.
Latest aerial shots taken by main contractor Wilmott Dixon show how the main Hub building, 400m track and sports pitches are continuing to take shape.
When complete, the facility will feature an athletics stadium, fitness gym, sports hall, indoor sprint track, full size floodlit synthetic turf pitch and five-a-side pitches.
Work on the main hub, external areas and car park is due to finish this month ahead of the official launch in May, while work on a new 250m outdoor velodrome is under way and due for completion in July.
And this week a couple of special guests had a sneak preview of the development off Marton Road which is set to become an important training base or them both.
Three-time Olympic long jumper and former British record holder Chris Tomlinson was joined by English international distance runner Matty Hynes for a tour of the site.
The pair were particularly interested in the new indoor 40m track which has just been laid in the sports centre.
Chris said: “The centre is even better than I had anticipated it would be, and I’m over the moon with the results!
“From an athletics point of view this is a very positive step for Middlesbrough.
“As I train here every day it will have a huge impact on my life and will be able to develop athletics within Middlesbrough.
“I hope that the facilities will encourage teenagers who might generally lose interest, take up and continue to develop their athletic skills and Middlesbrough goes on to create more Olympic athletes.”
Matty added: “The centre is amazing – it’s even better than I could have hoped for.
“It not only looks state of the art but it has state of the art equipment and facilities and rivals anything anywhere else.
“These exciting new facilities will not only inspire me but hopefully other up and coming athletes too.”
- For further information on Middlesbrough Sports Village, call 01642 592800, visit middlesbroughsportsvillage.co.uk or the Active Middlesbrough Facebook page at facebook.com/activemiddlesbrough.