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Velodrome Part of £50M Sporting Vision for Derby

Posted: 15th December 2009

Derby's rise as a premier cycling city will get a huge boost if plans to create an velodrome come to fruition.

The new velodrome is a key component in a £50M plan to overhaul sporting facilities in the city. Derby council leisure bosses hope that a new velodrome in the Cycling Demonstration town will help reinforce the city's sporting and cycling credentials and help the city become a breeding ground for homegrown talent, as Manchester and Newport have, following the creation of their indoor velodromes.

Ian Drake, Chief Executive of British Cycling, described the velodrome as brilliant news:

"If you look at the popularity of all forms of cycling, one of the biggest barriers is the facilities for people to take part in the sport. To have a velodrome in Derby is fantastic - the location is perfect and it complements the others in Manchester, Glasgow, Newport and London brilliantly. It's a huge boost for the city and will no doubt help foster future sporting champions."

The new velodrome would form one of two new sporting 'hubs' in the city, the other being centred around a 50m competition standard swimming pool. The velodrome would feature a 250m indoor track encircling 10 to 12 sports courts, and could house 3000 to 4000 spectators, giving the building the potential to be used for a wide range of spectator events. .

There are also plans to have a 2km closed road circuit on the velodrome site, plus an athletics track, shops and cafes.