Regional indoor sports arena set for 'next steps'

Leeds would be the best location in West Yorkshire for a new 5,000-capacity sports arena, a new report has concluded.

- by Charles Brown

In summer 2024, West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin approved a study into whether a new indoor sports facility that would host professional basketball, netball and ice hockey matches could be built in West Yorkshire.

It followed a presentation by Dr Mark Mills, an academic, basketball commentator and expert who said an indoor sports arena could be a "game changer" for the region. On Friday, a meeting will hear the results of the study, which says such a venue would be sustainable-despite "slim operating margins".

Last year's meeting heard that more under 16s play basketball than rugby and cricket combined, but the sport receives a fraction of the funding awarded to rugby and cricket.