How £3.3m will be spent on sports facility improvements

Why the funding matters?

Sport Wales CEO Brian Davies said the investment supports the Vision for Sport in Wales:

“For the third year in a row, we’re particularly pleased to have been able to award a large amount of funding to help safeguard the long-term future of numerous leisure centres by making them more energy efficient and sustainable. These projects will also generate sizeable carbon savings, helping to support Wales’ climate change targets.”

All of the grants have been made possible thanks to a total of £10m in capital funding from the Welsh Government for 2025 – 26. Details will soon be announced about how the remaining £6.7m will be invested.

How were projects chosen?

Local authorities, sport governing bodies and national partners applied for a share of this ‘capital funding’. Sport Wales prioritised applications that:

• Make sport more inclusive for everyone
• Support the development of talented athletes
• Improve energy efficiency and sustainability

What type of projects have received funding?

A full list of the 37 projects to receive capital funding can be found below:

Breakdown of funding by local area

Bridgend

• Two macadam netball courts at the Brackla Sports Centre, based at the rear of Archbishop McGrath Catholic High School in Bridgend, will be upgraded to one 2G/synthetic ATP court, together with LED floodlighting thanks to a £65,316 grant. The new facility will cater for various sports.

Cardiff

• Welsh Athletics has been awarded £29,439 towards the development of a javelin training area at the Cardiff International Sports Stadium in Leckwith. 

Ceredigion

• Heating, lighting and insulation improvements will be made at the Canolfan Hamdden Caron in Tregaron thanks to funding worth £83,700.

Conwy

• An award of £250,000 has been made to support a huge £8m decarbonisation development at three leisure centres: Abergele Leisure Centre, Colwyn Leisure Centre and Llanrwst Swimming Pool.
• Various cricket-related improvements will be carried out at the Y Morfa Leisure Centre in Kinmel Bay, which is a cricket hub for North Wales. £118,377 will be spent on an outdoor artificial wicket, pitch renovations, plus energy-efficient measures for the centre itself.

Flintshire

• At Connah’s Quay Pool, £82,220 will be used for pool regrouting, energy efficient pool covers and hoists.

Gwynedd

• £100,000 has been awarded to Gwynedd Council towards upgrading fitness equipment at Byw’n Iach Dwyfor in Pwllheli.

Merthyr Tydfil

• An award of £40,000 in support of a Merthyr Tydfil CBC project to upgrade the astroturf pitch on the Aberfan Grove fields site to a 3G pitch to address the county’s shortage of artificial surfaces. There are plans for the 3G to include a new shock pad to enable rugby usage.

Newport

• Welsh Gymnastics has been awarded a £146,546 grant to transform an old building in Pill into a gymnastics and cheerleading facility. 
• An award of £30,610 has been made to Newport Council to support their aim to upgrade the current artificial sports pitch at Pill Millennium Centre (Pill Mill) to a 3G pitch. 
• £12,500 will go towards the installation of solar panels at Wales Golf’s central headquarters at the Celtic Manor Resort to support the organisation’s sustainability goals.

Pembrokeshire

• £275,000 will go towards pumps and filtration units at the leisure centres in Tenby and Milford Haven to ensure both facilities are sustainable in the long-term by reducing energy consumption.

Powys

• The leisure centres in Brecon, Ystradgynlais and East Radnor will become more energy efficient following the award of £56,433 towards pool pumps and heat exchangers, while £113,850 will go towards air handling units at the Bro Ddyfi and Flash leisure centres.

Rhondda Cynon Taf

• £20,068 will be used to upgrade the diving boards at the Sobell Leisure Centre in Aberdare.

Swansea

• To support the growing interest in padel, £288,000 will be used by Tennis Wales towards the conversion of an outdoor court to three covered, LED-floodlit padel courts at the Swansea Tennis Centre. This is part of a bigger development involving the resurfacing of four indoor courts and the upgrade of three other outdoor courts to clay.
• Swansea Council and Freedom Leisure have been awarded two grants to help leisure facilities become more environmentally sustainable. £141,743 will go towards a pool plant upgrade and boiler replacement at Morriston Leisure Centre plus an air handling unit at Penyrheol Leisure Centre. Meanwhile, £60,544 will be used to install destratification fans which will reduce energy consumption at the leisure centres in Cefn Hengoed, Penlan, Penyrheol and Morriston.
• The Swansea Bay Sports Park will benefit from LED floodlight upgrades for both hockey pitches and the athletics track thanks to an award of £173,682. The athletics track is also set to be resurfaced as Welsh Athletics has successfully applied for £175,000 worth of funding.

Torfaen

• To help cater for basketball demand in Torfaen, an award of £20,489 will pay for height-adjustable basketball hoops and electronic scoreboards at Cwmbran Leisure Centre and Pontypool Active Living Centre.
• Torfaen Council has also been awarded £36,315 which will be put towards a new surface at the indoor bowls facility at Cwmbran Stadium.

Vale of Glamorgan

• £70,000 has been awarded to the Vale of Glamorgan Council to support plans for an outdoor skatepark at Bear Field in Cowbridge.
• An award of £12,403 will fund cricket nets and basketball hoops at Llantwit Major Leisure Centre to improve the provision for local clubs who use the centre for training sessions.
• The sports hall at Penarth Leisure Centre will be upgraded with new flooring thanks to a £51,000 grant. 

Wrexham

• An award of £66,519 will go towards the upgrade of the air handling units at Waterworld in Wrexham.
• Following a £54,000 award made last year for LED bulbs at the Queensway Stadium in Wrexham, funding worth £74,106 has been agreed for new floodlight columns at the facility’s athletics track and small-sided 3G pitches.
• The pool heating and pool circulation plant upgrades will be made at the Gwyn Evans Leisure Centre and Chirk Leisure Centre thanks to a £99,765 grant.

National

Some funding was awarded to National Governing Bodies to pay for sports equipment which will be used across the country: 

• Welsh Triathlon will receive £27,450 towards the purchase of timing chips and software to enhance the accessibility and affordability of multi-sport events across Wales.
• As athletics moves away from using firearms to start races, Welsh Athletics has been awarded £4,482 to buy an electronic start system which can be used at events across the country. 
• RYA Cymru will receive £64,615 to buy two foiling boats, two safety boats and two trailers. Forty per cent of all Olympic sailing disciplines are now foiling class which is particularly suited to female sailors.

Performance sport

Several performance sport projects have also been awarded funding to help support Wales’ most talented athletes to achieve their potential:

• The Welsh Rugby Union has been awarded £260,800 towards a new hot/cold recovery suite to replace their existing cryo chamber and further aid physical recovery and mental resilience.
• The Welsh Rugby Union has also received £207,200 towards the refurbishment of the pathway gym at the National Centre of Excellence in Hensol, Vale of Glamorgan.
• Welsh Boxing has received £43,200 towards the purchase of G force-registering gumshields to study the volume and force of punches young boxers take during training and bouts. Welsh Boxing have plans to work with the relevant neurology departments at Cardiff and Swansea Universities to explore the effect that punches have on adolescent brain development so that they can shape guidance supported by medical evidence.
• Swim Wales has been awarded two grants to provide world-class environments for their athletes. New gym and physio equipment is on its way at the National Pool in Swansea thanks to a £9,837 grant, while £6,934 will go towards the purchase of more modern video analysis equipment and high-performance swimming equipment.
• Beicio Cymru have successfully applied for £45,548 which will be used to upgrade the National BMX Centre Wales facility in Llanrumney, Cardiff.