Indoor Sports Center | Oxford Academy

Norseman Structures and Charles Lawrence Sports Surfaces partnered on the provision of a new indoor Football and Rugby Facility as part of the construction of the new Oxford Academy in Oxford, UK.

The main contractor for the overall project was the Willmott Dixon Group. Construction of the custom 115' w x 180' l structure was completed in August 2011. Project construction took place while the Academy was in full use; therefore, Health and Safety considerations were of paramount importance. 

The Oxford Academy focuses on student education for 11 to 18 years old. The new sports facility provides the community with the option for indoor sports and has been in use since September 2011. It is enjoyed by a variety of groups, including students of the Academy, other schools and a professional football team, Oxford United FC.

“The new building is bright, airy and functional. It’s robust, lightweight, easy to maintain, looks good and benefi ts from a building management system, which monitors and controls the mechanical and electrical equipment”, says Ian Sadler, Community Facilities Manager.

Ian goes on to say, “the facility is very popular because it doesn’t matter what the weather is like, we can function as normal. Besides being in full use during the day, it is almost always fully booked Monday through Friday evenings from 5:00 to 10:30 pm. The Academy is currently used for football games, rugby games and training facilities. In the future, we are planning to run tournaments and maybe even operate a 5 to 7-a-side football league”. 

Norseman Structures provided a complete building solution. “We supplied personnel and fire exit doors, a vehicle access door for maintenance purposes, specialist lighting suitable for indoor football and rugby, rebound boards and netting enclosing the pitch area - thus creating a 6.56' (2m) walkway and viewing gallery at pitch level for the full perimeter of the building,” says Keith Dexter, Director and General Manager of Norseman Structures in the United Kingdom. The sports pitch was provided by Charles Lawrence Sports Surfaces.