A sports academy is planned as part of proposals to extend playing fields at a Bradford secondary school.
National sports teams and the city’s professional clubs would be welcome to train at Tong High School and pupils would be encouraged to pursue their sporting interests to a higher level.
The school, in Westgate Hill Street, is a specialist sports college which already has extensive sports facilities.
Its most recent sporting victory was chalked up by the girls’ junior football team, which has clinched a regional prize and goes on to represent the city during a national tournament in Barnsley.
Tong’s grounds cover 35 acres, 20 local sports clubs take advantage of the set-up and Bradford Bulls use the site for training. A number of the rugby league club’s young academy players study at the school as well as train there.
A planning application has been submitted by the local education partnership, Integrated Bradford, to Bradford Council to add an additional 5.5 hectares of Green Belt land to the school grounds.
It is used for grazing and the scheme would require a footpath that runs through the area to be diverted. The land could provide three grass sports pitches of various sizes.
The Council is required by Sport England to create extra recreational space which would be lost if plans resume for a special school for children with social and behavioural needs in Flockton Road, Bradford, are revived. The scheme was frozen in the summer when the Government announced a cull of Building Schools for the Future programmes. Steve Gates, the school’s assistant head teacher, said the extra space would allow for an indoor pitch to be built.
He said: “There are some areas that extend beyond our site that we are looking to develop. It’s about making sure playing fields aren’t lost in Bradford and we are seen as the perfect site for addressing that.”
He said negotiations are at an early stage with Bradford City Football Club about moving training sessions to the school and there had been talks with Great Britain’s Rugby Football League about moving its headquarters there.
Barry Grayburn, Building Schools for the Future Project Director, said: “Integrated Bradford has submitted plans to change the designated use of land owned by the Council at Tong High School.
“If approved, the plans would allow the school to use this land for sporting activities alongside its existing playing fields.
“This would enable the school to expand its provision for pupils and the local community. This small area of land, which is about the size of a football pitch, has always been attached to the school and used for education purposes, and its Green Belt designation would remain unchanged.”
Planners are recommending that permission is granted. It will be considered by the Bradford Area Planning Panel today.
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