25 years of Sport on West Road
We’re proud to be celebrating 25 years of Sport on West Road, as our centre opened 25 years ago in 2001.
We’ve got a special weekend of activities planned on 18th and 19th July to help us celebrate; along with some free activities, competitions / challenges and prize draws too.
Below is a brief history of the centre over the last 25 years.
This article, along with more pictures can be found displayed in the centre over the next few months.
If you have any specific memories you’d like to share, please come in and talk to the staff about your experience of the centre.
Described when it opened as “One of the most impressive sports centres in the North-East"
As Westgate Centre for Sport, Newcastle Trampoline Park & Gym opened its doors for the first time 25 years ago, in February 2001 and has provided a space for the local community to participate in sport, leisure and fitness activities ever since.
Operated by Newcastle city council from 2001 until 2015, under the name Westgate Centre for Sport and since 2015 by GLL under our Better leisure brand as Newcastle Trampoline Park & Gym.
2001 construction finished and centre opened.
The £6.2m Centre of Sport, at West Gate Community College, was funded by Sport England Northeast, Newcastle's Local Education Authority and as part of a regeneration project; Reviving the Heart of West End.
The building was the brainchild of Newcastle City Council's architect, David Baker, and took about a year to construct. The design features a tower that can be seen for miles and originally had a green and purple indoor decor.
2001-2008 it was a dual use centre.
During the day, schoolchildren from West Gate Community College made use of the centre for their physical education classes, alongside some classes for members of the community. In the evening, it was used by residents and clubs.
School and College.
Rutherford School stood on the site until 1994, followed by West Gate Community College until 2008, now Westgate College and Skills Centre.
2003; the main sports hall re-opened after having to have the floor laid again and it was opened by Prince William.
2007/2013; Prince William visited again as part of an FA Hat Trick Project visit, along with local footballers; NUFC player Steven Taylor, England International Jill Scott and players from Westgate Juniors football Club.
Westgate Juniors Football Club was founded in 2006 with the support of the Hat-trick project after successfully hosting a mini world cup festival with local schools.
In 2007 the club was awarded the FA Charter Standard Award and then the Charter Standard Development Club mark in 2011.
They still use the centre as their home venue and now have Boys and Girls teams playing weekly at all age groups.
You can find more information about the club here:
https://westgatejuniors.co.uk/news
2008 to present as a full-time sports centre.
In 2008 the Sports centre opened full time to the local community.
Westgate college closed as a school, moving to a further education centre only and the sports centre opened full time to the local community.
Westgate Community College provides a wide range of community education courses. Each year we provide courses across around 40 subjects involving 700 part-time students.
Soccerworld also opened its doors in 2008.
Opened in 2008 SoccerWorld Newcastle boasts seven 5-a-side pitches and two 7-a-side pitch. The centre offers a variety of leagues, coaching classes as well as regular bookings and kids birthday parties.
You can find more information about what they offer here:
https://soccerworlduk.com/
2015/16 a new operator and a new name.
Newcastle Trampoline Park and Gym.
In 2015 and 2016 Newcastle city council chose to outsource most of their leisure provision in the city, the contract being taken on by GLL/Better.
https://www.better.org.uk/leisure-centre/newcastle/trampoline-gym
2016 GLL funded a huge change in Newcastle, with a £2.8m investment.
For Newcastle Trampoline Park & Gym this meant an expansion and refurbishment of the Gym on the first floor, doubling it in size of it;
A new look Better Coffee Corner Cafe area was also added; but the biggest change was the installation of a Trampoline Park into the main hall. The first of its kind in the region.
2019 saw further investment with the addition of a Soft Play area specifically for the younger users.
2020 a temporary closure due to the Covid pandemic and in 2021 a phased re-opening with new ways of working.
Our centre acted as a base for council projects to store packages they’d prepared for residents, to help kids stay active throughout the lockdown.
Meaning we were still supporting the local community to stay active even whilst we couldn’t open our doors to them.
At the start of lockdown, we also donated all our existing cafe stock to the local foodbank.
Community use over the years.
We’ve always tried to make our facilities available to everyone, creating an inclusive and affordable programme.
There have always been strong links with all parts of the community from all backgrounds.
We’ve been neighbours with the Hindu Temple since 2001, which has stood on West Road since1982. We’ve been proud to be host to their Diwali and Krishna festival celebrations over the years.
The Chinese community events in the sports hall were always well attended.
As have been the EID prayer events, with close to 5,000 people coming together to pray on our field.
Our recent women only fitness programme, with Muslim community group sessions, as well as our payment freeze for members over Ramadan, have all been well received by our local Muslim community.
For the last 5 years + we have been the weekly destination for a Jewish community group called SPLASH.
We’ve always tried to make our facilities accessible and affordable for all.
As a home for the council’s Raising Participation, Sports Development and GP referral teams as well as Northumberland Cricket Board for many years, the centre was home to lots of events.
Free and funded access to local kids; from the city council’s weekly Fusion sessions to the summer camps and HAF funded activities over school holidays under Better, in partnership with Street Games, has always been a part of the programme here.
We’ve created specific SEND activity sessions and provided equipment that is accessible in our gym to allow those with certain disabilities to use our facilities.
Better have a contract to operate the leisure facilities in Newcastle for another 10-15 years on behalf of Newcastle city council and we are looking forward to a bright future.
See our next article about planned investment for 2026 and beyond.