Outdoor Track Closure For Resurfacing, Sports Pavilion Demolition & Freedom Leisure New Operator

There are three significant changes underway at Swansea Bay Sports Park:

Outdoor Track Closure For Resurfacing:

In 2006 Swansea’s new outdoor track & field facility opened at Swansea University. The track has lasted for 20 years thanks to thoughtful and professional upkeep by Swansea University. 2026 will see the outdoor track resurfaced and remarked as well as installation of new LED floodlights through generous funding of Swansea University & Sport Wales, supported by Swansea City Council and Welsh Athletics with the target commencement date of works set for Monday 11th May. The full scope of works include:

  • Full overlay and remarking of the outdoor Athletics track complete with localised full depth repairs.
  • Conversion of the Athletics Track floodlights to LED, increasing to 250 lux (from 150-200 lux currently).

At this stage, the programme of works is set to be 12 weeks, however, the track resurfacing element will be heavily weather dependent, so this timeframe could be shorter or longer, we will keep you posted with progress.

The Athletics track will be closed for the duration of the project. While the Indoor Track will remain available throughout, to mitigate the loss of the Outdoor Track, the University Grounds team will shortly be marking a 6-lane Athletics track on the grass field below the Hockey pitches.

Sports Pavilion Demolition:

In addition by the 100m start line demolition of the Pavilion will soon commence to be replaced by a research and innovation 4 storey building for Swansea University Life Science, Well Being and Sport. So there will be a lot of change over the coming months. Therefore the club will not be hosting any open, league or championship fixtures until the work is complete. We then look forward to another 20 years before it’s time to be done again! More details on the new development can be read below. The new facility will support the development of a multidisciplinary sport-tech, med-tech and healthcare community focused on advancing sport, health and wellbeing.

Freedom Leisure announced as new operator for Swansea Bay Sports Park

Following an extensive and thorough procurement exercise Swansea University and Swansea Council have entered into an agreement with Freedom Leisure to operate the sport and leisure facilities at Swansea Bay Sports Park (SBSP).

The partnership is a key element of a new long term operating model for SBSP which has been developed to enhance customer experience, improve performance and create a foundation for future investment and development of the facilities, maintaining SBSP’s status as a regional hub for performance, student and community sport.

The agreement will be overseen by SBSP Ltd, a not-for-profit joint venture company, wholly owned by the Council and University, which has been established to lead the future strategic development of the site and builds upon a successful 25-year period of joint working since the inception of Wales National Pool.

From 1 August 2026, Freedom Leisure will operate the facilities across SBSP, including the Swansea University sport centre and pitches, Wales National Pool, the Athletics & Hockey Centre and King George V playing fields at Ashleigh Road, as well as the leisure facilities at the University’s Bay Campus.

Freedom Leisure is one of the UK’s leading not-for-profit charitable, leisure and cultural trusts, operating over 130 leisure, cultural and entertainment venues across the UK. While the organisation currently operates a number of facilities across Swansea, in partnership with the Council, this will be a standalone contract, with SBSP continuing to operate as a distinct site supporting community, performance and student sport.

Work is now underway to ensure a smooth transition to the new operator and regular customer updates will be shared via the Swansea Bay Sports Park website, social media and other customer-facing channels.