Sparsholt College’s exciting new sport centre was opened in 2014 and includes a full size sports hall, an exercise studio with sprung floor, a fully equipped fitness suite and a purpose built state of the art climbing wall.
The Sports Hall is a hub of activity on our campus, and is suitable for a range of large team sports and events. The hall has been marked out, and holds equipment for, indoor football, handball, volleyball, badminton, netball, basketball, and indoor tennis. A remote controlled digital scoreboard is is also available for competitive sessions.
The Climbing Wall is the largest in any college in the region. Spanning 20 metres, the wall incorporates over-hangs, ridges and sections of simulated real rock. There are large number of sports routes available to cater for the advanced climber as well as the beginner.
The renowned Football Academy at Sparsholt College has access to a wide range of pitches to train and compete on, both on and off the campus grounds.
On site, three full-size football pitches are available for sport and Football Academy students to put their practise to the test in competing, coaching and studying football. The pitch is maintained by our expert grounds teams, as well as our Horticulture students as part of their turf-management studies. This ensures the quality of the playing field is always high.
Alongside the campus football pitches, Sparsholt College is one of the very few college’s in the country to own it’s own club and grounds – Andover Town FC. Playing in the Wessex League football at the Portway Stadium in Andover, this gives our students an opportunity to play in front of large crowds in a competitive environment, as well as providing a progression route at the end of the programme.
The fitness suite is specified to a high standard, and is available to students to use in their spare time alongside their studies.
The suite is fitted with equipment and machines found in commercial gyms. It contains a variety of individual station resistance training equipment, free weights, a Smith Machine, and a Power Rack to allow a variety of resistance programmes to be undertaken.
The suite also contains a number of concept II rowing machines and a kayak trainer, together with cycles, treadmills, cross-trainers and a stretching/warm-up area. Qualified instructors are on-hand for advice and support on training programmes, rehabilitation and dietary issues.
Alongside the Fitness Suite, the Exercise Studio is available for use. The studio has a sprung floor and Interactive TV – ideal for a variety of dance and fitness classes, including step classes, circuit training yoga and more.
In the heart of the Hampshire Countryside, Sparsholt College has extensive industry links with access to a range of outdoor recreational activity centres and national parks that allow students to experience a wide range of outdoor activities.
The department has a fleet of mountain bikes, canoes and kayaks used extensively for practical training locally and further afield in areas such as the New Forest, Purbeck Hills and South Wales. Hill walking and rock climbing equipment is deployed for higher level and extended expeditions.
On campus, a low ropes course has been created to allow students to develop their coaching, leadership and instruction skills.