The mayors of Hounslow and Ealing, Councillor Bishnu Gurung and Councillor Munir Ahmed respectively, officially opened Gunnersbury Park’s new sports hub yesterday (Wednesday, 22 September).

The sports hub has been funded by Ealing and Hounslow councils, who jointly own Gunnersbury Park.

One of the largest outdoor sporting facilities in London, the sports hub has actually been welcoming local people through its doors since April. This event celebrated its official opening and gave everyone a chance to see the new, top-of-the-range facilities.

The opening also marked National Fitness Day, which highlights the importance of physical activity and healthier lifestyles.

Council leader Peter Mason and Councillor Samia Chaudhary, the Hounslow leisure portfolio holder, were also in attendance. They thanked everyone involved for their hard work in the sports hub and met guests from Sport England, Football Foundation, Lawn Tennis Association, London Marathon Charitable Trust and Middlesex Cricket.

Gunnersbury Park Sports Hub is close to Acton Town tube station and has already seen large numbers of people using the centre to enjoy themselves and improve their fitness.

The recent Olympic and Paralympic Games will hopefully inspire even more local people to take advantage of the top quality indoor and outdoor sports facilities. These include grass pitches for football, cricket, rugby, artificial grass pitches plus tennis courts and a gym with more than 100 machines, exercise studios and changing facilities.

A range of lessons and courses are also available and can be booked by people of all ages and sporting abilities.

The new sporting facility is also part of the Football Hubs Programme, supported by the Premier League, the Football Association and the government’s Football Foundation. 

Adults, juniors and local clubs can enjoy two floodlit 3G artificial grass pitches, together with nine football grass pitches, a rugby pitch and three cricket pitches. Tennis fans can aim to be the next Emma Raducanu by practicing on one of eight courts.

Councillor Mason said “This fantastic new sports hub is all part of our commitment to supporting the long-term health and wellbeing of our residents. This is one of London’s largest outdoor sports facilities with some of the best sports provision in the capital. We remain committed to ensuring that Ealing is a place where residents of all ages have access to a wide range of excellent sports and fitness facilities. Now open, it is providing first-class facilities to local people wanting to keep active and improve their fitness.

“I would like to express my deepest gratitude to everyone involved in seeing this project to completion so we can all see and enjoy these amazing facilities.

“This is another step to the fulfilment of our long-term vision, which sees Gunnersbury Park as a place where local people can enjoy sport, beautiful green spaces and a rich local history long into the future.”

Visit the Better website for further information about the Gunnersbury Park Sports Hub.