Giants switch to new home
MANCHESTER Giants are heading for a new home – in time for the 2019/20 BBL season.
The team will switch from their current base at the Trafford Sportsdome to a venue that will form part of a £35m development in Urmston, Trafford.
They will move into the existing George H Carnall Sports Centre, which will be redeveloped as part of Trafford council’s transformation of the surrounding site into a sport, health and wellbeing hub.
It will be expanded and renovated by the Giants to provide a multipurpose sports and event facility with a capacity of more than 2,000.
The wider plans also see the provision of health services and new affordable residential accommodation.
The Giants plan to house its professional team and community basketball and netball teams at the venue, as well as hosting the club’s office, a shop, community outreach team and a community cafe.
John Dwan, Giants chief executive, said: “It has been a priority for us to find a long-term venue that can house and develop our club, not just the elite BBL team, but also our junior basketball and netball teams, as well as our fast-growing community programmes.
“After fruitless discussions with other venues in recent years securing our own sustainable and affordable facility is a major step forward for the club.”
It ends speculation the Giants could move to the recently constructed start-of-the-art National Basketball Performance Centre in Belle Vue, where seating to accommodate around 2,000 spectators has just been installed.
Instead, they will move to a venue close to their current home.
The George H Carnall Sports Centre is one junction down the M60 from where the Giants currently play their BBL home games near to the Trafford Centre.
Leader of Trafford council, Sean Anstee, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to be able to announce that the Manchester Giants will be making this site their home, and bringing with them their great track record of engaging with schools and the wider community alongside affordable residential homes and health hub. At George H Carnall we have worked really hard with key partners to come up with an innovative and exciting opportunity that will complement the refurbished Urmston Leisure Centre.”
A statement from the Giants added: “Manchester Giants have assigned the development works to the Equity Solutions Group (“ESG”). ESG is a locally based specialist Investor /Developer. It has extensive experience of mixed use developments, and a particular expertise in Health and Community developments. As part of the arrangement, ESG will provide the Giants with a new state-of-the-art base with show courts and training facilities, in addition to the community health facilities.”