Middlesbrough to get 250-metre outdoor velodrome

An Olympic-length outdoor velodrome is to be built in Middlesbrough as part of a new £1m Sports Village development. The Sports Village is being built in Prissic, which is also home to a 1km cycle track built in 2011 that was built with the post-2012 Olympic legacy in mind.

The new velodrome and its 250-metre track will be a key feature of the new facilities which are being described as an “iconic sports destination” in the North East

Ray Mallon, the Mayor of Middlesbrough, has said that the Middlesbrough Sports Village aimed to have the sort of facilities that people in the region actually want, and so including a velodrome was very high on their agenda from the start.

He told Teeside paper The Gazette: “The aim from the outset has been to create an iconic sports destination of regional significance, and the velodrome will help to ensure it is a centre that attracts people from Middlesbrough and beyond for many years to come.”

British Cycling have agreed to part-fund the new velodrome alongside Middlesbrough Council, both of which contributed to the construction of the £700,000 cycle track three years ago.

Tony Hodgson, chairman of British Cycling North East Region, said: “The region has been without such a facility for too long, with all of our youth track development taking place far away, either in Manchester or Glasgow, at considerable cost to local people and demand on volunteer time.

“We already have a number of qualified track coaches in the region who support the existing programme.”

“Track cycling is fast, fun and anyone of any age can take part.

“Once the building work has been completed, we will work with the council to develop a full programme of events to showcase this exciting part of the sport to the full.”

Work on the Sports Village is expected to begin next month, with the construction of the velodrome getting underway later in the year. The project is due for completion in May 2015.

It will be the first outside velodrome in the UK to open since the Bournemouth Cycle Centre opened in June 2011 - the same year as Herne Hill Velodrome in South London (pictured).

That track, the last surviving venue of the 1948 Olympic Games, was resurfaced after British Cycling stepped in to help save it.