New £15m city sports hub set for final go-ahead

Work to build a new £15m sports hub in Leeds could get under way in the summer if plans are given final approval, councillors are to be told.

Holbeck Sports Hub would provide three full-size artificial grass football pitches, two multi-use games areas and a building containing changing rooms and a cafe, a meeting of Leeds City Council's executive board is due to hear later.

It would be built at the site of the former Matthew Murray High School, with further plans to provide a new base for a GP surgery.

Members of the board are expected to give the go-ahead to appoint an agreed contractor to complete the work, which is due to start in August.

Other elements of the development would include a children's play area and walking and running routes through the green space off Brown Lane East and Ingram Road, according to the authority.

The council said the new all-weather pitches would provide "sustainable, high-quality training facilities to reduce the impact on grass pitches and help overcome the shortfall of over 20 all-weather pitches across the city".

The Holbeck Hub is the third facility in Leeds to be developed in partnership with the Football Foundation charity.

It follows the Woodhall site in Calverley, due to open for the 2026-27 season, and the Green Park hub in Temple Newsam, where work is due to start this year.

All three hubs would be operated by the National Football Trust, a not‑for‑profit organisation, the council said.

Salma Arif, Leeds City Council's executive member for adult social care, active lifestyles and culture, said the Holbeck Sports Hub would "provide affordable and accessible quality sports pitches, providing more opportunities for physical activity and play and spaces to meet up and connect".

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