Southend Leisure & Tennis Centre

Southend Leisure & Tennis Centre
Garon Park
Former names	The Francis Sports Ground
Location	Southend-on-Sea, England
Opened	March 1996
Owner	Southend-on-Sea Borough Council
Operator	Parkwood Leisure Ltd

Southend Swimming & Diving Centre
Garon Park
Location	Southend-on-Sea, England
Opened	15th November 2010
Owner	Southend-on-Sea Borough Council
Operator	Parkwood Leisure Ltd

Southend Leisure & Tennis Centre was built in March 1996, with the centre expanding in November 2010 adding Southend Swimming and Diving Centre to the site, with a brand new reception area linking the two centres together, with state-of-the-art, self-swiping turnstiles. The sites main name will remain as Southend Leisure & Tennis Centre with the addition of Southend Swimming and Diving Centre. The premier centre of sporting excellence is located in the seaside resort of Southend-on-Sea, England and is run by Parkwood Leisure. ^[1]

1 Facilities
2 Regular Hosts
3 Olympic Training Ground
4 Address
5 References

Facilities

The Leisure Centre offers the following facilities:^[2]

Expressions Gym
Group Fitness Studio
Sauna, Steam Room & Spa
4 Indoor Tennis Courts
8 Court Sports Hall
- 2 Court Secondary Hall
3 Basketball Courts British Basketball League Standard
Fully Flood-Lit:
- 8 lane Olympic size Athletics Track
- 4 Outdoor Tennis Courts
- 4 Outdoor Netball Courts
Cappuccino Bar & Cafe
Small Steps Day Nursery
Function Rooms & Suites
Spectator seating & Disabled access for:
- 25m Swimming Pool
- Fun Pool & Slide
- Olympic Diving Facility

Regular Hosts

Each and every year, Southend Leisure & Tennis Centre hosts regular users and major events:^[3]

The Olympic size Athletics Track has been the host for Southend-on-Sea Athletic Club since 1996 and still is up to this very day. The track itself is due for refurbishment in 2011.
The 8 Court Main Hall hosts events such as wrestling and cage fighting events in the Ultimate Warrior Challenge.
The Centre is also home to the British Basketball League team the Essex Pirates.

Olympic Training Ground

With the centre forever improving with Olympic Diving Facilities being built most recently, along with the resurfacing & refurbishment of the athletics track in 2011, the site has been proposed to be used as an Olympic Training Ground, for the London 2012 Summer Olympics in the following sports:^[4]

Athletics
Basketball
Diving

Address

Phone: 01702 613000
Garon Park
Eastern Avenue
Southend on Sea
Essex
SS2 4FA

References

^ "Southend Swimming & Diving Centre at Southend Leisure & Tennis Centre". www.leisurecentre.co.uk. http://www.leisurecentre.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-01-14.
^ "Southend Leisure & Tennis Centre". www.leisurecentre.com. http://www.leisurecentre.com/centres/103/home/Southend-Leisure-andamp;-Tennis-Centre.aspx. Retrieved 2010-05-27.
^ "Southend Leisure & Tennis Centre". www.leisurecentre.co.uk. http://www.leisurecentre.com/centres/103/activities.aspx. Retrieved 2011-01-14.
^ "London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games". www.southend.gov.uk. http://www.southend.gov.uk/info/200044/fitness/716/london_2012_olympic_games_and_paralympic_games/2. Retrieved 2011-01-14.