UCS Bolton's new £2.5m sports pitch complex impressing students

University Collegiate School (UCS) on Deane Road unveiled the multi-use games area (MUGA) in September. 

The project was funded by the Department for Education to give its pupils an area to play sports and develop their skills. 

The space includes a floodlit 3G pitch, which can be used for a range of sports including football, cricket, tennis, badminton, basketball and athletics.

Also part of the development are changing facilities and a lecture room. 

The new facility includes a sports pitch, a lecture hall and changing rooms (Image: UCS) UCS headteacher James Inman said: "Students are returning extremely positive from their lessons in the MUGA.

"They have been approaching me to tell me how happy they are to have it.

"We want to show our students how important they are to us and having this superb facility goes some way to doing this.

"It’s so wonderful that students are looking forward to their PE lessons in their own specialist games area, created for them. 

"We know many of our prospective students will want to choose us because of the unique sporting facilities we have on offer.

"At UCS, they will be guaranteed access to them as part of their PE lessons and through the range of extra-curricular activities we have on offer." 

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Multi-award-winning chartered building company Conlon Construction, based in Preston, managed the building project.

UCS (Image: UCS) Marc Doyle, CEO of Quest Trust, which operates UCS Bolton, said: "We are delighted with the end result. The building and games area has been built to the highest specification.

"It’s a genuine example of strong partnership working. Conlon’s and Mott Macdonald Engineers have worked tirelessly to provide our students with the perfect area to develop a love of sport." 

The facility comes ahead of the completion of a "state-of-the-art" £17.6m extension, which will be opened in autumn next year. It will allow the school to extend its student capacity by a third.