THOUSANDS of local sports enthusiasts will be able to train alongside Olympic hopefuls at a multi-million pound academy.

Durham University is planning a £6.7m refurbishment of its main sports facilities and yesterday announced that Sport England will give the project £500,000.

The funding means more members of the public will be able to use the world-class centre, alongside elite athletes.

The centre, at Maiden Castle, in Durham City, aims to produce winning athletes for the London 2012 Games and will mainly focus on fencing, rowing and cricket.

The project, called Sporting Futures, will include a cricket academy, the region’s first indoor rowing tank, a fencing centre, a boathouse and a boat workshop.

As well as providing worldclass coaching, the academy would draw on the university’s sports science expertise, providing a weight training support area, strength and conditioning area, 12-station cardiovascular centre, plunge pool, sauna and steam room, analysis suite and laboratory, physiotherapy rooms and a rehabilitation area.

There will also be facilities for use by athletes with disabilities, and an extended sports hall and changing rooms.

The work is expected to be completed by this time next year.

Maiden Castle is already a base for the university’s community outreach projects, which include work with exoffenders, women at risk and local children, but the centre is at capacity.

The university said the bigger sports hall, extended changing rooms and new facilities would let it offer more opportunities to more people.

Charles Johnston, from Sport England, said: “Sporting Futures will bring highquality sporting opportunities to thousands of local people, university students and staff and help us deliver a lasting Olympic and Paralympic legacy of increased participation.

“These facilities will also provide a high-performance environment perfect for nurturing a new generation of sport stars to follow in the footsteps of previous Durham alumni such as Andrew Strauss and Jonathan Edwards.