More details on proposals that could see an indoor sports arena built in West Yorkshire are expected to be revealed later this year.
Last year, an expert in indoor sports told members of West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA), including Mayor Tracy Brabin, that existing facilities in the region were “not good enough”.
Dr Mark Mills is an academic, basketball commentator and expert who has had a role in clubs such as West Yorkshire Hawks, said a 5,000-seat indoor venue could be a “game changer” for local clubs.
He spoke at WYCA’s culture, heritage and sport committee last summer, and Ms Brabin agreed that a feasibility study should be drawn up to look at how realistic it would be to build an arena in West Yorkshire.
This report is expected to be released and discussed in November.
Next week’s finance, resources and corporate committee will be given an update on the various projects being carried out by the WYCA.
Detailing what is being done to support culture, art and sports in the region, the report says: “The feasibility study for the 5,000-seater arena has been received and will be discussed at the November 2025 culture, heritage and sport committee meeting.”
During his presentation last year, Dr Mills told members that more under-16s play basketball than rugby and cricket combined, but the sport received a fraction of the funding awarded to rugby and cricket.
A lack of facilities such as indoor sports halls, as well as venues for professional basketball, netball and hockey clubs to play, meant many young people were not able to pursue such sports.
He suggested West Yorkshire needed a 5,000-seat arena, funded by the private sector, and profits from the venue could support grassroots clubs.
He said almost every provincial city in Europe has an indoor sports arena that can cater for crowds of around 5,000 people, but there were very few such facilities in the UK, even in major cities.
Any arena should be run on a commercial basis, he argued, with some of the profit set aside to fund “pop-up” indoor sports facilities in areas where space for grassroots clubs is lacking.
He did not suggest any particular location in West Yorkshire for the venue.
Responding to his presentation, Ms Brabin said: “If we’re ever going to bid for the Olympics, we’d need big venues like this.”
