Gosport BMX club gets £150,000 to upgrade track

The club in Gosport has received the money thanks to an application made by the borough council to Sport England.

The council was keen to improve the track, which is used for national competitions throughout the year.

Gosport BMX Club chairman Stuart Catford said: ‘We are overwhelmed and delighted to have secured this investment thanks to the support of the council.’

‘It will allow us to deliver a unique facility to the community that meets the highest national and European standards.

‘We will now be able to match the quality of our riders and allow them to realise their full potential.

‘It will also encourage more people to partake in this fast, exciting and family-oriented sport.’

The £150,000 grant will be used to create a new track at the club’s site off Grange Road.

It will have a start hill and safety gate.

The money will also create a track for beginners and make improvements to the car park.

Chairman of the community board at the council Councillor Graham Burgess said: ‘This is great news for the club and for the borough.

‘Providing sports facilities that enable children to get out in the fresh air and compete in an exercise they enjoy is important.

‘BMX cycling at the Olympics drew huge audiences, which has driven many more children into taking up the sport.

‘So it’s important we provide the right facilities to enable them to develop their skills further and maybe even become future Olympians themselves.’

The money came from Sport England’s Inspired Facilities Fund.

Since 2011, it has been helping develop and regenerate community sports facilities.

Organisations can bid for a share of £5m to help upgrade their clubs.

Sport England property director Charles Johnston said: ‘The Inspired Facilities Fund has had a huge impact on grassroots sport across the country.

‘Since 2011, we’ve invested £102m into more than 1,920 projects to improve and 
refurbish sports clubs and 
transform non-sporting venues into vibrant community sports clubs.

‘It’s great to see Gosport BMX Club join the long list of successful clubs to benefit from the fund.’

As previously reported in The News, the improvements to the BMX track are part of the council’s plans for the Alver Valley Country Park.

As well as refurbishing the track, the council is creating new entrances, putting in toilets and wants to build a garden centre.