A FORMER international football referee is to open a new £2.6m sports complex tomorrow.

George Courtney MBE, whose career saw him take charge of matches in the 1986 and 1990 World Cup finals, will open Hartlepool's Brierton Community Sports Centre.

A top-class fitness suite and a sports hall are two of the impressive features in the project.

Covering an area of 2,000sq m, the single-storey sports centre will also include a creche for 30 children, changing rooms for disabled, six floodlit outdoor netball courts and exercise equipment with instructions in Braille.

The centre, which is attached to Brierton Community School, was paid for with the help of a £1.7m grant from Sport England, with the remainder coming from the Owton Rossmere Single Regeneration Budget Partnership, Hartlepool Council and school fundraising.

Stuart Priestley, the school's headteacher, said: "This is a marvellous occasion - not only for pupils and staff at the school, but for local people.

"Sport adds an extra dimension to people's lives, helps build healthier bodies and brings communities closer together.

"I hope as many people as possible will join with the youngsters to exjoy this excellent new centre to the full."