Blacktown City Council has officially cut the ribbon on the Blacktown Exercise, Sports and Technology Hub, or BEST for short.
Designed by ARM Architecture and Co-op with Architectus providing landscape design and physical literacy, the $100 million facility is located at the Blacktown International Sports Park. BEST will provide a first-rate sports centre for local athletes, with training, sports medicine, rehabilitation, research and education facilities on hand, as well as a cafe, accommodation spaces and a fun play space.
“BEST is a $100-million investment in the health and future of the communities of Blacktown City and Western Sydney,” says Blacktown City Mayor, Tony Bleasdale OAM.
“BEST is a game-changer for sports in Western Sydney providing the very best facilities in sports sciences, training and rehabilitation.
“BEST was designed in collaboration with partners; the Australian Catholic University (ACU), Sydney West Sports Medicine, AFLNSW and WentWest.”
On hand for the opening of the facility, Olympic Gold Medallist Cathy Freeman says she is astounded with the state-of-the-art facility.
“If this facility was here when I was a kid, without a doubt I would be here every day with my stepfather training and making the most of these facilities,” she says.
“I love the fact that there is such a diverse community in Blacktown City, including a vast First Nations community who will be able to use BEST and make it work. BEST provides an opportunity and value for the community to connect.”
ACU’s exercise, sports science and high performance sport programs are now all consolidated within the centre, further cementing the ongoing relationship between university and Council. Neil Gibson, the Scottish architect who was the original Project Director of Blacktown Sportspark, along with Scotland’s Sports Performance Centre, returned to lead the design and delivery of BEST for Blacktown Council.
“Neil is widely regarded as among the best in the world in his field and we are fortunate to have him. The BEST in the industry leading the BEST sports training, recovery and sports sciences education facility in Australia,” Bleasdale continues.
A strength and conditioning suite featuring cutting-edge equipment, a split-level aquatic recovery pool, auditorium for conferences, an all-weather playing field and physical literacy space will cater for a number of uses within the facility. The Lodge, the facility’s onsite hotel, will host bootcamps, wellness retreats and corporate team building, while guests will be able to enjoy bespoke catering options,
customised training regimes, as well as fitness and aquatics centres.
For more information, visit www.bestblacktown.com.
