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davieG

Expansion plans revealed to make Leicester Riders' Morningside Arena biggest of its kind in UK

By davieG, in General Football and Sport

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davieG

davieG

Posted
Posted

 

 

The venue wants to attract national and international events


ByDan MartinAgenda Editor
04:00, 25 JUN 2021

Plans for major expansion of Leicester Riders’ Morningside Arena into the country's largest basketball venue have been unveiled.

The five times BBL champions are seeking to extensively revamp their Charter Street base by adding a further two basketball courts to the three already in the main arena.


The aim of the expansion is to increase the sporting and community use options at the venue and create the UK’s largest largest basketball arena

 

Riders’ chairman Kevin Routledge said the club had endured a tough year through the Covid-19 pandemic and that the expansion was a key part of its long-term recovery.

He told LeicestershireLive: “It has been a very challenging time for us.

“We basically had to close in March 2020 and cancel so many things we had planned while the team played behind closed doors.

“Pre-Covid we were seeing a huge huge demand for events.

“We were inundated with requests but unfortunately that never came through

“We know that demand has not gone away.”


Mr Routledge said the expansion would not increase the venue’s 3,000 person capacity, which is limited by fire regulations - but would allow more flexibility in the way the arena is used.

The £4.8 million arena has been used for a range of corporate and leisure events since it opened five years ago.

It has hosted large-scale Bollywood and boxing nights as well as the prestige Champions League of Darts in 2019.

It is also a venue for major regional, national and international sports events in basketball, netball, judo, karate, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby

It has held comedy, music events, elections, and religious celebrations.

Mr Routledge said: “We think there are ways that we can bring more major events here - events we have not seen in Leicester before.

“We are very excited about this.”

Mr Routledge said if planning permission for the expansion was granted by Leicester City Council work could start later this year.

 

In documents submitted to city council planners, the Riders say: “The overall result will be to increase the sustainability of the arena, increase the type of events that could be attracted including national and international events, with benefits to employment and the wider economy.

“Events comprise less than 20 per cent of the available time and put the greatest demands on the infrastructure.

“These are mainly, but not exclusively, at weekends.

“In non-college opening hours, including weekends, the arena has access to the car parks of Leicester College.

“The arena is able to operate sustainably through the revenues generated by these events; without them, it is not viable financially.

“The operating challenge that has arisen is that there is the potential for conflicts between the ongoing community sports activities, including the use by Leicester College and Leicester Riders under age teams, and the staging and preparation for, and clean-up from the events, at limited times of the year.

“This project is aimed at addressing those conflicts."

The arena hosts corporate events
The arena hosts corporate events
A new public plaza, capable of holding outdoor events, would be developed facing Charter Street and the parking would move to a new car park in Memory Lane.

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said he was supportive of the proposals.


He said: “Of course it is for the planning committee to decide whether this scheme can go ahead but it is something we have been talking to Riders about for some time.

“The arena is a big space and primarily it must function for basketball but this extension would offer the possibility of more uses.

“We are fortunate to have such a brilliant club in our city, which does great work in the community and I would be very keen to do what we can to help it to further success in the future.”

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CosbehFox

CosbehFox

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No surprise. After a season where the league was granted £4m to operate and the clubs managed to pinch some really good players who’d normally play in the stronger European leagues, they are beginning to realise the enormity of the budget gap and the sponsors not willing to back them. 
 

Worcester have gone and apparently Riders as the club rather than the venue are feeling the pinch a bit 

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fuchsntf

fuchsntf

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On 25/06/2021 at 10:52, davieG said:

 

 

The venue wants to attract national and international events


ByDan MartinAgenda Editor
04:00, 25 JUN 2021

Plans for major expansion of Leicester Riders’ Morningside Arena into the country's largest basketball venue have been unveiled.

The five times BBL champions are seeking to extensively revamp their Charter Street base by adding a further two basketball courts to the three already in the main arena.


The aim of the expansion is to increase the sporting and community use options at the venue and create the UK’s largest largest basketball arena

 

Riders’ chairman Kevin Routledge said the club had endured a tough year through the Covid-19 pandemic and that the expansion was a key part of its long-term recovery.

He told LeicestershireLive: “It has been a very challenging time for us.

“We basically had to close in March 2020 and cancel so many things we had planned while the team played behind closed doors.

“Pre-Covid we were seeing a huge huge demand for events.

“We were inundated with requests but unfortunately that never came through

“We know that demand has not gone away.”


Mr Routledge said the expansion would not increase the venue’s 3,000 person capacity, which is limited by fire regulations - but would allow more flexibility in the way the arena is used.

The £4.8 million arena has been used for a range of corporate and leisure events since it opened five years ago.

It has hosted large-scale Bollywood and boxing nights as well as the prestige Champions League of Darts in 2019.

It is also a venue for major regional, national and international sports events in basketball, netball, judo, karate, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby

It has held comedy, music events, elections, and religious celebrations.

Mr Routledge said: “We think there are ways that we can bring more major events here - events we have not seen in Leicester before.

“We are very excited about this.”

Mr Routledge said if planning permission for the expansion was granted by Leicester City Council work could start later this year.

 

In documents submitted to city council planners, the Riders say: “The overall result will be to increase the sustainability of the arena, increase the type of events that could be attracted including national and international events, with benefits to employment and the wider economy.

“Events comprise less than 20 per cent of the available time and put the greatest demands on the infrastructure.

“These are mainly, but not exclusively, at weekends.

“In non-college opening hours, including weekends, the arena has access to the car parks of Leicester College.

“The arena is able to operate sustainably through the revenues generated by these events; without them, it is not viable financially.

“The operating challenge that has arisen is that there is the potential for conflicts between the ongoing community sports activities, including the use by Leicester College and Leicester Riders under age teams, and the staging and preparation for, and clean-up from the events, at limited times of the year.

“This project is aimed at addressing those conflicts."

The arena hosts corporate events
The arena hosts corporate events
A new public plaza, capable of holding outdoor events, would be developed facing Charter Street and the parking would move to a new car park in Memory Lane.

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said he was supportive of the proposals.


He said: “Of course it is for the planning committee to decide whether this scheme can go ahead but it is something we have been talking to Riders about for some time.

“The arena is a big space and primarily it must function for basketball but this extension would offer the possibility of more uses.

“We are fortunate to have such a brilliant club in our city, which does great work in the community and I would be very keen to do what we can to help it to further success in the future.”

I Dont understand, Why over many years of seperate planning there seemingly no info-exchange and Shared Facility potential,

in Sharing  sport buildng-stadia Hotel complex, between Riders/Tigers/Leicester city.FC/Council/ a.n.other...I

A few years ago There were talks, because of large  Brown-sites around Leicester, 

that a Single or double Sporting sites & Overnight Stay, Shopping Malls at an international level,would bring the City into that International recognition.

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davieG

davieG

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Work starts to extend Leicester Riders' Morningside Arena into biggest of its kind in UK

The expansion will not increase the venue’s 3,000 person capacity - but make it more flexible for use

 

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/work-extend-leicester-riders-morningside-6845094

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