A £12.3m investment to create new sports facilities at Catterick Garrison has been unveiled during celebrations marking Queen Camilla’s birthday.
The funding will deliver a new rugby hub and a state-of-the-art indoor sports centre, with the facilities set to benefit serving soldiers, veterans, military families and the wider community.
The announcement was made during the 21 Royal Gun Salute in York and brings together support from Army Sport, Headquarters North, the Rugby Football League, Army Rugby League, the Army Central Fund and the Nuffield Trust for the Forces of the Crown.
The project forms part of the Army’s wider Join Well – Serve Well – Leave Well initiative, which aims to encourage greater participation in sport while supporting physical fitness, mental wellbeing and operational readiness.
Retired Major General Darrell Amison, chief executive of Army Sport, described the scheme as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity”.
He said: “Developing Sport in the North is an ambitious, once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform the sporting facilities for our soldiers and their families in Catterick Garrison and the North, and by direct association, make a significant contribution to our Army’s fighting power.”
Army Sport has committed a £2m grant towards the project, alongside significant backing from Headquarters Regional Command and charitable funding.
The Army Central Fund has pledged £4.5m, while the Nuffield Trust for the Forces of the Crown will contribute £1.76m over the next four years.
Major General Jo Chestnutt, chair of the Army Central Fund, said the investment was about more than new buildings.
“Sport plays a vital role in Army life. It builds resilience, strengthens teamwork, and provides opportunities for soldiers and families to connect,” she said.
“This significant investment is about much more than bricks and mortar. It is about creating places that encourage participation, improve wellbeing, and contribute to a positive experience of Army life for serving personnel and their families.”
The Nuffield Trust said it hoped the new facilities would become a lasting hub for the Army community in the North, helping to strengthen morale, wellbeing and friendships.
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So what facilities will be available to the local civilian population??.
You would just wonder where the army got all this money from???
As in most cases when us the taxpayers keep being told there’s on money for road improvements and maintenance and housing etc for the old people who have worked hard for many many years to put food on peoples tables.
PRIORITISE COMES TO MIND.
Didn’t they build a shopping centre on a sports field?