Swansea Council's Cabinet has approved measures designed to improve the operation of some of the city's key sports facilities.
The change will see Swansea Bay Sports Park – including the council-run Ashleigh Road playing fields, the partnership-run Wales National Pool Swansea, plus the neighbouring indoor and outdoor athletics facilities, all weather and sports pitches run by Swansea University – run by a single professional operator.
The operator – sourced via a procurement process – will be accountable to a new not-for-profit joint venture company, voluntarily led by senior figures from the council and Swansea University.
The decision does not apply to the neighbouring Swansea Tennis Club, which will remain independent of the new company.
Council leader Rob Stewart said:
“Swansea is a sporting city and we want to ensure that community facilities continue to be available to all – and to be run to the highest possible standards.
“Current management agreements in place at this location for a number of years are due to end so it's important that new sustainable arrangements are in place to benefit communities, university students and the whole city.”
Cabinet member Andrew Stevens said:
“Having different management obligations and teams across a single site isn't 100% efficient and now resources will be better directed to improving the facilities.
“A new single operating model for the facilities that comprise much of the Swansea Bay Sports Park next to our fantastic coastline will help us achieve that.
“We're working closely with our university partners in planning this change.”
No jobs will be lost in the change to the new operating model, the council said, and it is anticipated that the new operator will be in place this year following their success in winning a competitive tender process.
