State of the art gym and sporting facility opens in Robina
Bond University has launched a new multi-million dollar Sports Centre in advance of the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
The Sports Centre was officially opened by Swimming Australia President Mr John Bertrand AM alongside Bond University Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Tim Brailsford and Bond’s Executive Director of Sport, Mr Garry Nucifora.
This new state-of-the-art sporting facility covers 2,700sqm. It consists of a gym, three group exercise rooms, two beach volleyball courts, a dedicated function area and easy access to Bond’s existing, and famous, Olympic size pool.
Bond University now has a variety of elite sporting facilities including the High Performance Training Centre located within the Bond Institute of Health and Sport (BIHS), competition level rugby and AFL fields and a 50 metre heated pool.
Designed by BDA Architecture and built by ADCO Constructions, the new facility features Bond University’s signature sandstone and complements the existing architecture.
Bond University’s Professor Brailsford said the University’s vision to provide programs and facilities to support tomorrow’s leaders in sport had been realised with the opening of the Sports Centre.
“At Bond, we recognise the values, attitudes and beliefs synonymous with sporting success are a strong contributor to academic achievement and well-rounded graduates,” said Professor Brailsford.
“Olympic swimming gold medallist Melanie Wright is a shining example of this, maintaining a gruelling training regime throughout her studies at Bond and graduating with a Masters of Business Administration earlier this year achieving high distinctions along the way.
“The new Sports Centre, in addition to Bond’s existing world-class facilities, will continue to attract high achieving student athletes to the Gold Coast.”
Professor Brailsford said the centre would also be utilised by a number of high-profile Australian and international athletes and teams in addition to being available every day to Bond’s students and staff.
“In the next few months alone we will see numerous elite athletes utilise the Sports Centre such as the Australian and New Zealand Rugby national U20s teams, the Japanese Rugby Union squad as well as our Olympic swimming hopefuls Maddie Groves and Cam McEvoy,” he said.
“Bond is already home to some of our nation’s top coaches, including Australian swimming specialist coach Richard Scarce and professional rugby union coach Sean Hedger, helping our students to achieve the outer limits of their potential.
“Our long-term strategy is to integrate sport into each of Bond University’s core functions of learning and teaching, research and engagement to offer tangible opportunities and benefits to students.”
Don Knapp, CEO of Australian University Sport, said Bond University was setting a sector-wide standard in recognising the importance of dual career education.
“Bond University is an industry leader in terms of supporting high achievers to pursue excellence in both sport and the classroom,” said Mr Knapp.
“Integrating sport into a university’s strategy, as Bond has done, has far-reaching benefits by representing an investment in the health and well-being of future generations.
“The new Sports Centre will be a recreational hub for Bond student-athletes and will also undoubtedly lure professional athletes, coaches and academics looking to work with the best in the business.
“I congratulate Bond University on bringing this world-class facility to life and look forward to working closely with the team to help foster our sporting talent Australia-wide.”
Bond University is home to 27 sporting clubs including rugby, swimming, AFL, athletics, basketball, equestrian and volleyball.
Bond has a strong history of nurturing Olympic and Paralympic sporting champions and elite athletes across a range of sports.
