Support the bid for an Indoor Sports Facility at Saffron Lane Athletics Stadium

For more than 10 years the Leicester and Leicestershire athletics community have talked about the need for an indoor training facility In Leicester. Two years ago, when the bitter winter saw young athletes shivering and blue with cold, the Leicester Athletics Development Group (LADG), set up a small steering group to design a building and acquire the funds - Now it is time to stop the talking and make it happen! Can you help?

The Leicester Athletics Development Group (LADG) submitted a £2.7 million bid to the Sport England Lottery Iconic Facilities Fund in December 2012 to build the indoor centre with the support of England Athletics, the national Sportshall Athletics agency, the UK Counties Athletics Union, Leicester-shire & Rutland Sport, the City Schools Partnership and the Leicestershire & Rutland Athletics Association and the local clubs using the athletics stadium. In order to do this we had to find £3850 to pay for the Outline Planning Permission which will not be recovered through the bid application . Two local supportive individuals lent us the money until we are able to raise enough to cover this. Additionally we will need to raise at least a further £5500 to pay for the full Planning Permisions and fees. If you can donate any money to the project through the website it will also demonstrate a community commitment to the indoor training and competition facility - we need to show that local parents, athletes and athletics supporters in Leicester want the facility and will use it (see below as to how we will mark your support when the facility is built!!). We will update this page to let you know the outcome of the bid to Sport England and our plans following the decision.

The LADG is a non club specific group of people with a goal to develop athletics in Leicester and the wider Region. It has successfully taken athletics events out to communities to provide athletics to those who have not had these opportunities before. The Group has been joined in this campaign for an indoor venue by the Leicestershire Disability Athletics Group to provide much needed shelter for disabled athletes who cannot easily keep warm when it is cold and wet.

What will an indoor training and competition facility mean for Leicester and Leicestershire? Extensive consultation has found the following key reasons for the facility:

•     It will provide a fantastic OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPICS ATHLETICS LEGACY
•     The facility will enhance the quality of training facilities available for schools, local clubs, coaches and athletes
•     It will put Leicester “on the map” for athletics training for 12 months of the year
•     It will provide an outlet for a coach education centre, and give the local athletics community with better access to coaching courses
•     It will vastly improve the development of the County-wide and Regional Disability Athletics programme
•     An indoor facility will provide a permanent home for the use of the Disability Group’s wheelchair “rollers” for the growing number of wheelchair track athletes.
•     It will aid the development of physical education through after school activities, family/community liaison, and better school/club links with leadership activities such as young leaders’ awards.
•    It will tackle the problem of lack of attendance in poor weather – participation and attendance will improve, particularly from new athletes.
•     A new facility will allow the stadium to host indoor events for its local Schools providing feeder primary school children with the opportunity to participate in sport at a high quality facility from a much earlier age resulting in increased participation, a higher skill level and improved physical health.
•     Leicester can once again begin to provide high quality Regional and National outdoor competitions – the indoor facility will provide a warm-up arena which many athletes have become used to.
•     The indoor facility combined with a rationalisation and development of the outdoor stadium complex will have a huge benefit for many sports.
•     British Weight-lifting are also supporting our bid in order to develop a local Olympic weightlifting club for youngsters in Leicestershire (this would include disabled athletes).
•  The plans include facilities for indoor Pole Vaulting, High Jump, Throws, Long Jump and Hurdles, as well as an important strength and conditioning zone. 

 £2 or more  - would help the group to demonstrate community support through each individual donation

£20 and over – if you are willing we will include your name on a mosaic on the building walls

£100 and over – we will include your name in a scroll of donors in the building

£1000 and over – we will include you (or your company) in our list of sponsors or your name on equipment.

Massive (!) donations – we will discuss building “naming” rights with you and it may mean we do not have to seek extensive funding from other sources.

All additional funds (in excess of the amount needed for Planning Permission) will be used towards the indoor equipment needed for the building.

Please note:  5% of all donations go to Access Sport and Justgiving to cover administration charges.