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The HISTORY of REDDITCH New Town



       Abbey Stadium

       The  Abbey  Stadium  sports  centre  pre-
       dates  the  New  Town  development  but
       was  a  key  element  of  the  strategy  of
       providing sports and leisure facilities in
       the town.
       It  has  undergone  many  proposals  to
       develop  and  upgrade  its  facilities  over
       the last 50 years, including snow domes,
       hotels,  multi-screen  cinemas  to  name
       just a few.  Most of these have fallen by
       the wayside, often the controversy over
       a route for the Bordesley By-pass being
       the stumbling block.
       In  1992 development work at the stadium included a new all-weather running track but
       2011 saw the most controversial proposal.  The centre had major developments including
                                                               a  new  swimming  pool,  but  the  plans  to
                                                               heat the pool from waste heat from the
                                                               neighbouring crematorium was a step too
                                                               far for many people.
                                                               Despite  the  protests,  the  scheme  went
                                                               ahead and finally became operational in
                                                               2013 and  is now recognised as a ground
                                                               breaking environmental initiative.

                                                               Today  the  Abbey  Stadium  complex
                                                               comprises  a  wide  range  of  wet  and  dry
                                                               facilities  providing  activities  for  all  the
                                                               family, including a  25 metre and learner
                                                               swimming  pools,  a  fitness  suite  offering
                                                               nearly  100  pieces  of  state  of  the  art
       equipment and 2 exercise studios boasting over 40 classes per week for all ages and
       abilities, such as body pump, body combat. pilates, yoga, spin classes and more.

       The centre also has a 5 court, multi use
       sportshall  providing  a  wide  range  of
       activities such as badminton, five a side
       football,  roller  discos,  gymnastics  and
       trampolining clubs, boxercise classes and
       many more.

       Outdoor  facilities  consist  of  2  full-sized
       football pitches available for hire and an
       8  lane  synthetic,  floodlit  athletics  track
       which  is  home  to  the  local  Bromsgrove
       and Redditch Athletics Club. This can also
       be  used  as  floodlit  football  pitch  for
       matches and training purposes.





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